What Have You Done?
by Midnightsun7
Summary: Naruto, at 16 yrs old, was banished from Konoha. The council went behind Tsunade's back, but he didn't know that. Furious, Naruto's love for Konoha evaporated as he ran off. Five years later, Akatsuki has a powerful new leader, and he looks familiar...
1. Broken Beyond Repair

**Hey guys! This is only my second story, but thanks for reading it anyway! Oh, and it would be really great if you could review this story after you've read it. Honestly, reviews MAKE MY DAY! Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (obviously)  
**

_"Thinking"_

"Talking"

**"Demon talking"**

* * *

"WHAT?!" The horrified shriek of a single shinobi echoed throughout Konoha. It was the only sound that could be heard; everything else was as quiet as death. No birds even dared to chirp.

Inside of a building, a sixteen year old blonde ninja was standing before Konoha's council of elders with a look of pure disbelief on his face. Shock was visible in the depths of his impossibly blue eyes. He started to shake his head defiantly. "No…no this can't be true. You can't do this! You're lying!"

The impassive elders seated before him looked on with uncaring eyes. They felt no regret for what was happening. This child was an abomination, and shouldn't even be allowed to live. They would have done this earlier, had they been given the chance.

A dark-haired man with white eyes that seemed to hold a tinge of victory sneered, "Naruto Uzumaki, the council has reached a decision and you shall abide by it regardless of your personal feelings. You have failed to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha from Orochimaru, and therefore you have failed the village. Demon-child, you are hereby banished from the Hidden Leaf."

Naruto dropped to his knees, and tears filled his cerulean eyes. '_This…this can't be! Baa-chan wouldn't allow this? Why is this happening? It's…it's not fair!' _

But, apparently the man was not done. "You are to leave immediately. If you have not left the vicinity of Konoha within one hour, you shall be executed on sight. Oh, and we also must take back that headband, as it is property of the village." When Naruto didn't move, he motioned for one of the ANBU present to approach the boy. The ANBU appeared in front of him, and in one swift motion, pulled the headband off of Naruto's forehead.

It was in that moment that something snapped inside of the blonde. The thing that he treasured most, his village, was being taken from him. And with the village, went his friends. All of his precious people would be gone. He was alone. He was empty. It was just like when he was younger: he was the demon-child and no one cared about him. Naruto got up, silently, and took a step towards the head council member. His bangs hid his eyes from view and immersed them in shadow. Hiashi Hyuuga, sensing a change in the atmosphere, looked towards the banished boy.

And then, something unexpected happened. Something none of the elders could have predicted. This boy, after all, had loved the village, no matter what they threw at him. No matter how badly they treated him. They didn't expect it to change even now. Unfortunately for them, it did.

Naruto suddenly looked up at the Hyuuga clan head, meeting his gaze with a fierce glare. The normally indifferent man gasped. He was no longer looking into the eyes of Naruto Uzumaki. He was now looking at the cruel, blood red eyes of a demon. Intakes of breath could be heard all around the room. The boy's pupils were slitted, and only anger was visible within his eyes. The boy's face began to take on a more feral appearance, as his canines sharpened and the strange whisker-like marks on his cheeks darkened. An evil aura began to overtake the room. And then he spoke.

"**You have just made a horrible mistake."** The council could hardly believe that such a demonic voice could come from the blonde that stood in front of them. A few elders shook in their seats from the sheer power of the killing intent. The voice echoed around the room, like a scene right out of a horror movie.

"**I will make you bastards regret this day. I will make you regret the moment you decided to banish me from this village. I hope you realize what you've just done. You have made a powerful enemy. By banishing me, you have sealed the fate of yourselves and your village."** Naruto shook with fury, and hatred was visible in his red eyes. He spat on the ground, and then growled. A wave of flames originated from where he stood, spreading out and licking everything around it like a wildfire. And then he was gone.

That day changed Naruto Uzumaki forever.

* * *

It was an hour later, and a pink-haired kunoichi could be seen running through Konoha. Her face was red from exertion as she raced to the village gates. She wore a red dress with black knee-length shorts under it.

"Lady Tsunade! Lady Tsunade!" she cried. A blonde women who looked to be in her early twenties greeted the girl with a wave. At first lit looked like a normal greeting, but the woman's sharp eyes picked up on an undercurrent of panic from the girl.

"What's wrong Sakura-chan?" she asked, concerned visible in her hazel-colored eyes. _'It takes a lot to get Sakura worked up like this.'_

"It's Naruto-kun! I can't find him anywhere. Ever since we got back from our last attempt to rescue Sasuke, he's been missing! Some injured shinobi came to the hospital this morning from a mission, and I was healing them all day so I didn't notice sooner!" Sakura babbled on and on, another sigh of her worry.

"Naruto-kun?" Tsunade said, "I'm sure he's fine. If anyone can take care of themselves, it's that boy."

However, Sakura didn't look quite satisfied. "I mean we're a team…a-and we're friends and I should know where he is, right? What if he's in danger or half-dead from training so hard? That's what he usually does when we come back from a failed mission! H-he hasn't even fully healed from that battle with Sasuke."

The Godaime frowned at the mention of that traitor. He had once been part of Naruto and Sakura's genin team, and they had been close friends. But he had betrayed the village and gone to Orochimaru for training. She hated to think of how much that had hurt Naruto.

"Sakura, I just got back from Suna, so I have a lot of work to do. However, I'll see what I can do, maybe ask around." _'I hope that corrupted council hasn't tried to pull anything…_._'_

Sakura nodded. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

"Come on, why don't you accompany me to my office? That way I don't need to send anyone to go find you if I stumble across that baka."

They set off towards the center of Konoha, where the Hokage's residence was located.

Tsunade opened the door to her office, only to find Hiashi Hyuuga, the head of the council of elders, waiting for her. Her detail-oriented senses noticed a gleam of satisfaction in his eye, as if he had accomplished something award-worthy. However, being probably the best medic-nin alive, the Godaime picked up small things like his breathing, posture, and increased heart rate. This revealed an undercurrent of… fear?

"Hello, Hokage-sama. I see that you are back from your meeting in Suna," Hiashi's white eyes rose up to meet hers. Sakura looked at the man, feeling like he was hiding something. Tsunade's gaze hardened into a glare.

"What is this about, Hiashi-san? If you are trying to pull one of your evil schemes then I can assure you that whatever you threaten me with will have absolutely no effect." Sakura glared at the man with her emerald eyes, silently agreeing with her sensei.

"I only wish to speak with you, that's all," and then he looked over at the pink-haired kunoichi, and added "Alone."

Frustrated, Tsunade hissed, "Whatever you are going to say can be said in front of my apprentice. Spit it out, Hyuuga." She really did not like this man.

"As you wish. I merely wanted to inform you that I have taken care of a great problem in our village. Children, adults, shinobi and civilians alike are much safer now that a certain… dangerous person is out of the way. He was simply a time-bomb waiting to explode."

Tsunade paled. _'No… he doesn't mean….'_

"HOW DARE YOU!!!!" she snarled as comprehension dawned on her face. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

Sakura was shocked by the Hokage's sudden outburst. She was clueless- what did the Hyuuga mean by that?

"This was a long time in the making, Tsunade-_sama_," Hiashi said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he added the suffix. "Everyone will thank me for getting rid of that-"

His voice was cut off by a hand at his throat. The Hyuuga clan leader found himself pressed up against the wall, struggling for breath. However, it was not Tsunade's famous temper that had flared up. Sakura beat her to it.

"What. Did. You. Do?" Sakura hissed, her voice as cold as death. Tsunade stood next to her, shaking with rage. Hiashi suddenly reconsidered coming here, but it was too late now.

"The council banished that demon brat! We'll never see his face again! Naruto Uzumaki is finally out of this village and out of our lives," Hiashi sneered.

Suddenly, the world seemed to freeze. A deadly silence descended upon the room. For all they knew, it could have been the world.

And then, "…what are you- AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" screamed a very upset Hyuuga as he was thrown through a wall. Someone down below on the street screamed at the sight of the dignified Hyuuga flying over their head. A crowd gathered below as a very pissed off Hokage flew out of the hole behind him, her eyes glued to the doomed clan head with murder as their intent. Not a second later, a pink blur raced up and punched the Hyuuga in the face with enough force to bring down a building.

Shrieks of "YOU BASTARD!!!" from Sakura and "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" from Tsunade could be heard as they pummeled the helpless man.

* * *

Kakashi heard the screaming and ran to the source of the noise. _'Is the Hokage under attack?'_ he thought. A huge wave of killing intent washed over him. He sprinted faster, now flanked with roughly a dozen ANBU. _'What is going on? Didn't Tsunade-sama just get back from a meeting in Suna?'_

And then he saw it. Kakashi stopped dead in his tracks. "H.o.l.y. S.h.-" his words were cut off by more enraged screams. His eyes were met with the sight of the Godaime Hokage and Sakura Haruno beating the crap out of the Hyuuga clan head in the sky. He winced as a chakra-fueled fist slammed into Hiashi Hyuuga's gut. Apparently the clan leader really wasn't that great of a fighter as everyone thought. _'What could he possibly have done for Tsunade-sama to risk her status as Hokage and publicly fight him? And not only her, but Sakura too!'_

Kakashi knew he had to stop this. He and the ANBU launched themselves into the air. It took seven ANBU to restrain Tsunade for the few moments they needed. One formed a hand sign, and the all disappeared. Four more ANBU went to Sakura and did the same, vanishing in a cloud of smoke. Kakashi leaped towards Hiashi, placed a hand on the man's shoulder, and disappeared as well. The onlookers blinked, wondered what had happened, shrugged, and then walked off and resumed their daily business. Obviously, they had a very simple thought process.

Tsunade, Sakura, Kakashi, Hiashi, and multiple ANBU were now in a large interrogation cell deep within the ANBU headquarters. Tsunade was still screeching like a madwoman and Sakura looked like she was ready to murder someone. Hiashi refused to be looked down upon and held his head high, despite the circumstances.

Tsunade's voice, which suddenly turned eerily calm, broke the awkward silence. "With my power as the Hokage, I vote for the execution of Hiashi Hyuuga- immediately." Her voice cut through the air like a dagger.

Kakashi's one visible eye widened. Some of the ANBU looked shocked as well, except for a few that looked down at the floor guiltily. "W-what could he have possibly done to deserve THAT, Lady Tsunade?" Kakashi didn't think he had ever seen the Godaime this livid before, even when Jiraiya had been caught peeping, and that was saying something.

"He manipulated the council into thinking that I had given them an order. He went behind my back, and performed actions without my consent, a-and h-he…" Tsunade's voice broke at the end. Kakashi stared in disbelief as tears formed into the legendary Sannin's eyes.

Sakura finished for her. "Kakashi-sensei, he banished Naruto-kun. They banished him for not bringing back Sasuke, and he thought it was an order from the Hokage! He left this morning! Kakashi…Naruto-kun's gone!"

This time it was Kakashi who had to be restrained.

* * *

And just like that, a 'misunderstanding' caused all hell to break loose. But no, no one would know that for a while. They didn't know what they'd done to him. They didn't know just how hard he would take it, how it would create a hole in his heart that couldn't be healed. What a mistake that was. And the worst part is that they have no idea how far he'll go. And soon, they wouldn't know what hit them.

Naruto's hair blew around him, wild and unruly since there was nothing on his forehead to hold it back. His eyes, instead of being dulled with pain, were strangely sharp and intense, almost icy. His hand balled into fists, and his eyes flashed.

And then, he took a step towards the Akatsuki base. A step towards destiny.

* * *

**Well, there's the first chapter. Intense, right? Just to give you a heads up, the next chapter will take place roughly 5 years later. It is gonna be good xD. I hope you liked Chapter 1! Oh, and like I said before, PLEASE REVIEW! I practically live for feedback =)**


	2. He's Different Now

**Yes, Chapter 2 is finally here =) Sorry it took so long- I was busy with school and it took a while for me to get my thoughts together. Also, I just wanted to let you know that some things in my story are going to be different from the actual manga (which I haven't read) and TV show, so just go along with it. This chapter takes place 5 years after Chapter 1. I also wasn't quite sure about certain facts, so I just improvised. By the way, in my fic Jiraiya is alive. I've altered the storyline quite a bit, so think about him leaving Konoha around early Shippuden even though he was only 15 then (hes 16 in the first chapter. Now he's 21).  
**

**Disclaimer: Obviously, I do not own Naruto (why would I be posting fan fictions if I did?)**

_'Thinking'_

"Talking"

**"Demon Talking"**

**_BOOM - _**loud noise

---------------*5 years later*----------------

Small blades of grass quivered in the gentle breeze. Trees stood tall and strong with the occasional leaf spiraling down to the soft ground below. It seemed to be a day just like any other day, but apparently someone had other plans. A small stream ran through the lush undergrowth, a stream that would soon run red with blood. Ten figures stood on the horizon, observing the village that would soon be nothing more than a massive graveyard. Their cloaks, black with red clouds, blew about them in the wind. The silence had an eerie feel to it, as if the whole forest was holding its breath. Suddenly, all ten figures vanished, completely disappearing all at once. The slaughter had begun.

Moments later, the screaming started. Shrieks of pain and horror filled the air, along with the scent of blood. Many shinobi had already been killed, their bodies mangled and virtually unrecognizable. The simple music note design on the dead villager's headbands glistened in the deceitfully cheerful sunlight.

The screaming abruptly stopped, just as suddenly as it had begun. Shortly after, the ten cloaked figures could be seen again on the horizon. They walked away, seemingly unharmed. And then, just like that, they were gone.

* * *

Konoha was bustling with activity. Everyone, civilians and shinobi alike had gotten word of something very troubling. Shizune was busy sprinting through the streets, intent on the Hokage's mansion. She burst into the Godaime's office, face flushed after running all the way across the village.

"Tsunade-same!" she cried. Tsunade looked up with slight interest, although her eyes were still dulled from pain of losing a precious person.

"What, Shizune?" she asked in a tired voice. The past five years had been hard on her. Although her appearance was still one of a woman in her twenties, she now acted much older. Tsunade was often tired, drunk, or just plain annoyed. Shizune made a point to ignore her bored tone, and answered with all of her previous energy.

"Tsunade-sama, the Hidden Sound Village- it's been completely destroyed!"

"WHAT?!" screeched Tsunade in disbelief. Shizune was mentally relieved at this 'normal' reaction.

"Word just came from Jirayia. He apparently had spies in the vicinity and just got wind of what happened. The entire village has been decimated; there are no survivors. One of Jiraiya's men described the streets to have been 'flooded with blood'," the brunette said, breathless.

Tsunade's eyes were still wide from the news. "T-the entire village? Was Orochimaru present as well? Was he killed?"

Shizune shook her head. "It is impossible to tell. Bodies are still being identified, although many were… mangled beyond recognition," she shuddered.

Tsunade nodded. It would have been nice for Konoha's long-time enemy, also her ex-teammate, to have been taken care of, though she didn't want to get her hopes up.

"Who could have done it? There must have been an army, right? After all, this _is_ Orochimaru's village we're talking about. They have tons of military strength," the Godaime thought out loud.

Shizune looked nervous. Under her Hokage's questioning gaze, she answered quietly, "N-no."

"What do you mean _no_?"

"There was no army."

"Wow. There must have been some seriously skilled shinobi to take down the Hidden Sound Village without anyone knowing. I mean seriously, they killed off _every _single genin, chuunin, jounin, and all other ninja without the power of an army. How is that even possible?" Tsunade muttered.

"A…..Ak…." Shizune started. She was obviously on edge.

"Hm? Did you say something?"

"It was the Akatsuki," Shizune finished quietly. Tsunade's eyes widened. _'How could this be?'_ She had no idea the Akatsuki had gotten so strong. Lately, they had been more evasive than usual, and hadn't truly been seen for years, but this much power? Was it even possible?

She was about to question Shizune further when the door to her office flew open. A familiar pink-haired kunoichi rushed into the room. She stared at them, her emerald eyes wide. Sakura really hadn't changed much in the past five years. She didn't have a family of her own, and ever since Naruto left she was never the same. On her face, true smiles were hard to come by, and were to be cherished whenever they graced her features. Her bubblegum-pink hair was still cut short, though in a more flattering way that had more layers in the front and side bangs that framed her face on the right side. Sakura was also probably an inch or two taller, which Tsunade noticed as she stood there in the doorway. And, of course, she had advanced in rank, and was now one of the few who were ranked as elite jounin.

Tsunade absently mumbled something about people not bothering to knock when she was cut off by the new arrival.

"T-Tsunade-sama! Is it true! Did someone somehow manage to destroy Orochimaru's village?" Sakura cried, unsure about the rumor that was flying around Konoha.

"Yes, Sakura. It's true. Jiraiya's spy network found out about the event just this morning," the Hokage answered, still a bit shaken. She rubbed her brow, trying to ease the headache that was slowly forming.

"Who?" was all Sakura could say after a few minutes of shocked silence.

"Akatsuki." That one word sent a chill through all three women. Even though they hadn't had any contact with the elusive organization, it was obvious that they were gaining power. But how?

They stayed in the Hokage's office for another fifteen minutes, discussing what Konoha should do. It was decided that since the Hidden Sound was an enemy, they would find out as much information as possible about the slaughter and also keep an eye out for Orochimaru. That man had a habit of coming out alive of almost anything, given his dream of immortality, though this time all of Konoha wanted to make sure he really was dead.

Tsunade had also given Sakura orders to select two other elite jounin and act as team leader for an S-Rank mission. Her squad was to travel to the source of the matter: the Hidden Sound Village. Their mission was to find out what exactly happened there and who did it. They had two weeks.

* * *

Somewhere, deep within a mountain, plans were being made. The Akatsuki were extremely pleased with the success of their latest mission, and were now beginning the second phase of their plan.

A couple people were gathered in a room, talking quietly among themselves in low voices. There was a jutsu active that prevented anyone on the outside from eavesdropping, but the matter was of such importance that they still talked quietly out of habit. A fish-like man with blue skin and gills on his face was speaking to a girly man with long blonde hair.

"Deidara, how much longer until Leader-sama gets here?" the blue man asked impatiently. The other man, Deidara, simply shrugged. _'How am I supposed to know?'_

"We need to begin capturing the rest of the bijuu! Everything is going ahead of schedule, so we'll need to capture more jinchuriki, and that's something that takes time!" the blue man, Kisame, complained, eager to get to work.

"Kisame, I'm sure Leader-sama already has a flawless strategy to capture them. Your impatience is degrading," said the emotionless voice of a raven-haired man with spinning red eyes.

"Yea, whatever Itachi," Kisame groaned.

_**BOOM! **_Deidara and Kisame whipped around at the sudden sound. Itachi just turned slowly. The doors to the meeting room had been thrust open dramatically, and smashed into the wall. _'One day, he is going to break those…'_ thought the Uchiha.

Standing at the door, with his hair blowing wildly around his face, stood a man. He wore a black cloak that moved with him like a shadow. The dark color perfectly offset the blood red clouds that decorated it. The cloak was exactly like every other Akatsuki member's, except for the red kanji for fox on the back. He was obviously a shinobi, although he wore no headband. His hair was a light blonde that had been unruly and wild ever since anyone could remember, and his lean body was accentuated with strong muscles.

When he lifted his head, the man's intimidating blue eyes became visible and glittered maliciously as he stepped into the room. Seeing the three of them gathered there, he slowly began to grin. The grin was full of eagerness and anticipation, and was very familiar to the people standing in the room. The motion enhanced the three dark whisker-like marks that were etched into each side of the man's face.

Deidara, Kisame, and Itachi bowed slightly with respect as he entered the room. "Leader-sama," they acknowledged.

* * *

Three blurs leapt through the treetops of a forest far from their home. They were powerful ninja, judging from the great mass of chakra they each possessed. Each wore a headband adorned with the symbol of the Hidden Leaf.

"Sakura, how far do we need to go from here?" asked a brunette shinobi with stoic white eyes.

The pink-haired ninja looked up. "Neji, it looks like we'll be in for another ten minutes of travel. We should be there shortly."

"It's about time," muttered the third jounin, wiping the sweat off of his forehead before taking off again. Red fangs were tattooed on either side of his face, and messy brown hair framed his face. A large white dog followed closely behind him, his sturdy legs rippling with muscles as he caught up to his owner.

'_Aaaah, Kiba…you remind me so much of how _**he**_ used to act on missions,'_ Sakura thought to herself. She missed her first teammates very dearly, although the blonde's departure hit her the hardest. Sakura desperately tried to avoid those painful memories. He was someone she never expected to lose….

It was roughly ten minutes later when the team of three elite jounin reached the Hidden Sound Village. The silence was deafening and weighed heavily on their ears. Kiba shuddered as the scent of blood wreaked through his nose. He reassured the huge white dog beside him with a pat on the head. Akamaru whimpered nervously. Kiba was about to say something about the smell when he looked ahead and froze.

Seeing his hesitation, Sakura and Neji ran to catch up with their teammate. He had reached the entrance to the village and was standing just above the main gates, feet glued to them with chakra.

"Kiba, what's-…oh!" Sakura cut herself off with a gasp as she surveyed the scene before her. Neji's pale eyes widened, for once a clear display of emotion on his usually indifferent face. Akamaru let out a mournful howl that could be heard for miles around.

Before them lay a scene of pure horror. Blood ran through the streets like runoff after a heavy rain. The thick red liquid covered most surfaces. And, much to the team's horror, bodies paved the roads. Dead men, women, and children lay in the midst of it all. Death was everywhere.

"Wh-what could have happened here? Could the Akatsuki really have done all this with just ten people?" Sakura was in shock.

"I don't see how it is possible, especially with a village of this caliber…" Neji looked away from the slaughtered village before him. Kiba just stood, rooted to the spot, as his eyes took in everything. He suppressed a shudder as the wind blew and another wave of the foul stench of death washed over him. _'This…this is horrible. Even if this is Orochimaru's village, I don't know if I would have wished this fate upon them. After all, there are innocent people down there who now lay in pools of their own blood.'_

Just then, a figure clad in black shinobi clothes appeared before them. He nodded a quick greeting at the team before speaking. "I am a spy of Jiraiya's. As much as I would like to give you my real name, I cannot, for it is far too dangerous. Please call me Itsuki; I hope that will suffice. You are the team from Konoha, right?"

Sakura, Neji, and Kiba nodded. They looked at the shinobi before them. His black clothes were loose and disguised his body, and he wore no village headband. He had unusual blue hair which was mostly covered in a hood, but other than that there were no distinguishable features visible. Parts of his unique hair stuck out to frame his face. Itsuki's whole face was also covered in shadow; the Konoha nins couldn't even see his eyes. After nodding, Kiba quickly averted his eyes to avoid the horrible scene that lay behind the new arrival. Itsuki smiled grimly. "Well, in that case, I have some bad news for you. You will probably want to deliver this information to the Godaime Hokage immediately."

Kiba's head snapped up. "News? You mean other than a whole village slaughtered by the most feared organization in the world?" His voice was harsh, which surprised Sakura. _'He never used to speak like that; he was always joking around and goofing off. I guess __**his **'banishment'__ affected Kiba more than anyone knew."_

"Yes, I'm afraid so. We have gathered evidence from all over, and things are beginning to fall into place, things that we would have rather not have happen. You see, Konoha nin, the Akatsuki have already captured four out of the nine bijuu. Their plan of world domination is already in motion."

The three jounin stared at him in horror. After the initial surprise and thoughts of how this could affect Konoha, they were all filled with dread. A single thought ran through all of their minds: _'__**Naruto.**__'_

_

* * *

_

Deep within the Akatsuki base, a man prepared to sneeze, but the urge quickly subsided.

* * *

**And that's the end of Chapter 2! For those of you who somehow (idk how you could have missed it...) didn't figure it out, Naruto is now the leader of Akatsuki. I know, I know, you people seem to want details. Lots of stuff will be explained later on or will be shown in flashbacks. Also, Naruto has not yet met up with Sasuke. It might be hard to believe, but he hasn't seen him for the past 5 years. Naruto has mostly been training and in hiding. Itachi was attacked by Sasuke twice in those years, but Sasuke never saw Naruto. Sasuke also left Orochimaru, so he wasn't in the sound village, but I'll make sure to say that somewhere in the story so its clearer to everyone who reads this. I'll update this story as soon as I can! And remember, PLEASE REVIEW! It makes me feel more confident =)  
**


	3. They Won't Know What Hit Them

**Here's Chapter 3. Enjoy =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (who would write fanfics if they did?!)  
**

'_Thinking'_

"Talking"

"**Demon Talking"**

* * *

Wind whistled through an empty village. A village that used to be teeming with life, but was now only a ghost town. The wind blew everywhere, touching every surface as it passed by. A shinobi's brown hair blew around his face as if it were attacking him. He narrowed his eyes, and wrinkled his nose against the sickening stench of death the wind carried. _'What reason could Akatsuki possibly have for slaughtering an entire village like this?'_ Kiba thought.

Kiba, Sakura, and Neji, along with Jiraiya's spy Itsuki, had been investigating the Hidden Sound Village for the past three hours. They had grouped themselves into pairs so that they could cover more ground; Kiba with Sakura and Neji with Itsuki.

After hearing Itsuki's troubling news, Sakura had wanted to report back to Konoha immediately, but Neji simply shook his head and told her that since they were going to cut their mission short anyway, they might as well bring back some details about the village so that Tsunade wouldn't have to send out another team. Kiba, surprisingly, hadn't said anything, and Sakura thought she caught a troubled look flash through his eyes.

Right now, Neji and Itsuki were exploring a section of the town where the foul stench of burned flesh filled the air. All of the bodies around the two had been burned horribly beyond recognition- all that was left of the villagers were piles of charred corpses. Ashes blew about them in the wind. It didn't take a genius to figure out that some kind of massive fire jutsu had been used. Quickly making a note of this, Neji wasted no time in following the blue-haired shinobi to another section of the Hidden Sound Village.

The first part of the village that Sakura and Kiba searched was…disturbing to say the least. It was unnerving because all of the people looked to have attacked each other, like crazed animals fighting to the death. Their corpses had looks that humans shouldn't have been able to have on their face, while they reached out to strangle their neighbors. Even frozen in death, the horror that had gone on in this area was apparent.

Sakura walked over to one of the dead and observed how its arms were painfully contorted as if it had been resisting its own body. _'This must have been one powerful jutsu.'_ She shuddered, and then moved on.

Another section of the town was strangely free of blood. The lack of blood in that particular area was surprising, but when Neji saw the villagers, he was shocked. Next to him, Itsuki's hands clenched into fists. Everyone looked to have just dropped dead. No battle, no fighting, nothing. As if everyone just passed out at the same time and never got up. Civilians and shinobi alike lay on the ground, and could have looked like they were just taking a nap except for the way that they were unnaturally sprawled out.

"Byakugan!" Neji said. The veins around his eyes became more prominent as he activated his kekkai genkai. He wanted to know how these people died. Even with his family's bloodline trait, he had trouble finding anything unusual. After a few minutes of searching, however, the only thing that stood out to him was the way that all of the bodies had a dark, palm-shaped mark over their hearts. He furrowed his brow in confusion.

'_How did that kill all of those people? Wouldn't they have noticed someone using taijutsu on everyone?'_ And then it hit him.

This handprint was not something left by a physical touch. It was a chakra burn. _'Such an advanced jutsu! The enemy must have had amazing chakra control to have used a ninjutsu that caused all of these people to drop dead like that. The mark is the only thing that's left.'_

After investigating most of the Hidden Sound Village, the two teams met up at the last section. Sakura couldn't help it- she gasped.

"Oh my god," Kiba managed to say in a low voice.

Itsuki just looked at the scene with a look of pure disgust on his face.

"The enemy must have been very…bloodthirsty," was all Neji could say. The other three tried to nod in agreement, but couldn't quite manage it.

Before them was by far the bloodiest scene yet. Bodies were strewn all over, their throats ripped out and chests clawed apart. Large claw marks adorned the nearby buildings.

'_What could have done this?' _Kiba thought.

"I-it looks like some k-kind of wild animal," Sakura stuttered. To be honest, it looked like a pack of demons had descended into the village and shredded every living thing in sight. But the ninjas knew better. It had been only one Akatsuki member. A shiver went through all of the Konoha nins as they thought about meeting that particular shinobi in battle.

* * *

White, frothy water rushed off of a cliff somewhere in Waterfall Country. The roaring of the waterfall blocked out most other sounds, making it an ideal meeting place for shinobi. There was a small cave hidden behind the roaring water, unknown to most people. The two shinobi standing in the cave would not have been noticed by any passersbys.

Kisame and Itachi were currently waiting for the rest of their orders. They had been told by their leader to meet at this place at midday, and so they had. Both disguised their chakra signatures.

A footstep behind them made both S-class nins flinch involuntarily. Kisame whirled around only to find their blond leader leaning casually against the cave wall. Kisame had no idea how he had gotten by them, a mystery that remains to be solved. Itachi's eye twitched, for he was obviously annoyed at allowing himself to be snuck up on.

The Akatsuki leader grinned ferally, an amused light dancing in his eyes. "I see you've made it," he said softly. Itachi and Kisame nodded.

"What's the plan?" Kisame asked. The grin became wider. Itachi started to get an uneasy feeling- most missing-nins of this caliber weren't quite so…happy.

"You are going to infiltrate the Hidden Waterfall Village under the guise of travelers who simply wish to experience the sights and sounds of the village. By using a henge, no one will be able to recognize you. After all, this particular village isn't exactly known for its military strength. All the same, we don't want to encourage any violence." He gave a pointed look to Kisame, who was known to cause unnecessary fights.

"Once you have successfully entered the village, you are to find a jinchuriki by the name of Fu. The Seven-Tailed Horned Beatle is sealed inside of her. Capture her and bring her back to headquarters for safe-keeping until the time comes for 'you know what'. Oh, and don't reveal yourselves unless absolutely necessary," he finished. He handed Itachi a paper with a drawing of a woman with pale green hair and red insect-like eyes. "That's her."

Taking all of this in, Kisame nodded. Before doing the same, Itachi asked, "And you, Naruto-sama? You haven't been out of the base for years. What are you going to do?"

It might have been his eyes playing tricks on him, but Itachi could have sworn he saw a flash of uneasiness on Naruto's face, but the shadows were probably playing tricks on him and it was gone so quickly he wasn't sure if he had really seen anything at all.

"Me?" Naruto chuckled, "I'm going to start the first phase of our other plan."

Kisame looked confused. "What plan is that?"

Naruto looked him in the eyes. "To infiltrate and ultimately destroy Konoha."

Kisame heard a hint of revenge in those words, and grinned in reaction to his own bloodlust. This was going to be good. Itachi couldn't help but smirk at his partner's reaction.

"Konoha probably knows by now that we're going after the tailed beasts even more than before. Even if they hate me, it is now in their best interest to protect all of the Jinchuriki. And, as you know, that includes me. So, I'm going to give them exactly what they want."

"So...so you think they're going to come looking for you?" Itachi asked, speaking up quietly.

"Yes, I know they will."

Kisame frowned. "But how can you be so sure?"

Naruto ran a hand through his hair. "I don't think everyone in that village wanted me gone. My old teammate, Sakura, would probably jump at the chance to fine me again." _'If only to beat some sense into me for not bringing back Sasuke...' _"Anyways, I'm pretty sure they'd rather have me back in the village than have the entire world to come to an end. Which is silly, they have no idea what Akatsuki's plans for the bijuu actually are. Konoha really hates this whole organization, so they'll come after me and bring me back to the village for protection to prevent you from getting ahold of me."

All three of them were grinning now. Itachi chuckled, "If only they knew...."

* * *

After listening to all of their leader's new plan, Itachi and Kisame were fairly surprised at how well thought-out it was. Naruto was going to hide his connection to the Akatsuki, and dress as a normal shinobi would. Then, he would purposefully allow Konoha nins to find him, act like he was all happy that they wanted him back, and accept their apologies etc. Or well, something along those lines. Itachi had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't go quite that well, and that Naruto's old anger at the village would bring out his sadistic side, so he'd probably try to secretly hurt them in the process. Regardless of that, however, their plans always seemed to work out.

Then, when the time was right, he would steal Konoha's secret scrolls and any information that could possibly be of use to Akatsuki. And of course, for good measure, he would scare the shit out of them by faking being kidnapped by Akatsuki. Either that, or he would reveal his true identity. Unless something better came to mind, he'd choose whichever was more amusing to him. After all, who _wouldn't_ want to see their faces?

* * *

Neji, Sakura, and Kiba had left the Hidden Sound Village, said goodbye to Itsuki, and started the return trip to Konoha. They had been traveling nonstop for the past couple hours, eager to get as far away from the massacre as possible. Right now, they were only a few minutes away from the Hidden Leaf. Each member of the team was deep in thought, thinking in completely different directions.

'_The Akatsuki…what could they gain from massacring Orochimaru's village?' _ Neji thought, _'What's in it for them?' _He ran a hand through his dark hair as he continued to ponder the different aspects of the attack.

'_That guy...Itsuki, right? What village is he from? He __**is**__ one of Jiraiya's spies but I don't recognize him at all. I wonder what kind of jutsus he uses…." _Kiba trailed off in thought. Akamaru was right beside him, easily keeping pace with the jounin. As Kiba's faithful nin-dog, Akamaru would rarely leave his master's side.

Sakura's thoughts, however, were drawn to her old teammate. _'Naruto, please be safe! Somehow, I'm going to convince Lady Tsunade to let me to find you, and bring you back to Konoha. I will NOT let this become anything like Sasuke's defection. We will bring you back, Naruto. Just hold out a little longer- we'll find you!'_

The Konoha nins had made it back to their village in record timing. After giving the guards a quick greeting, they ran to the Hokage's office, eager to deliver the new information as soon as possible.

The Godaime was considering pouring herself a glass of sake when the door to her office burst open. Startled, she looked up to see Sakura Haruno, Neji Hyuuga, and Kiba Inuzuka standing before her, panting. Confused, the Godaime just stared at them. They weren't supposed to be back for at least another week.

Tsunade was about to speak when Sakura abruptly cut her off. "Tsunade-sama, we received important information that had to be delivered immediately! We did some brief research at the Hidden Sound Village as well, but couldn't stay any longer since we had to report back immediately."

Tsunade nodded, still a little confused. What could have gotten them so worked up. "Well, spit it out. What's the news?"

This time it was Kiba who spoke. "It's Akatsuki. Not only were they the ones who attacked Orochimaru's village, but they are now kicking their plan into overdrive. They've just recently captured four tailed beasts!"

Tsunade gasped. _'But…so soon. They're capturing the bijuu so quickly now!'_

"Tsunade-sama, what should we do?" Neji asked. He secretly cared very much for Naruto since he was the one that set him free of his fate, and actually wanted to bring him back to Konoha.

Sakura and Kiba anxiously awaited her answer, silently thinking the same thing. Although no words had been exchanged, the three were so close that they could practically read each other's thoughts. Would they finally get to see Naruto?

With a sigh, Tsunade spoke up. "I can't find another way around this. Sakura, Neji, Kiba, it is now in the best interest of our village to find, retrieve, and protect Naruto Uzumaki." She choked out the last name.

"Yes!" Sakura cheered, mentally doing a little victory dance. A small smile graced Neji's lips. Kiba grinned happily, and Akamaru bounded over to Tsunade. With a blink, the Godaime registered a huge white dog flying at her, but it was too late. Akamaru tackled Tsunade, and furiously began licking her face. Sakura burst out laughing, and Kiba scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Shizune poked her head into the room, wondering what the heck was going on, only to find herself in a fit of laughter when she saw the huge dog 'attacking' Tsunade.

Wrestling out of Akamaru's grip and wiping her face, Tsunade 'playfully' grabbed the white dog by the scruff and threw him across the room. With a yelp, Akamaru slammed into Kiba and they both went flying into the wall. Tsunade grinned. Shizune went over to pay Akamaru on the head, who instantly recovered. Kiba just lay on the floor in a jumbled heap. With a groan, he stood up, rubbing the side of his head. Neji smirked at the large Akamaru and Kiba-sized dent in the wall behind him.

Suddenly, though, the happy atmosphere dissipated. Everyone looked towards Tsunade, who was now emitting a nervous aura. They were all baffled as tears started to form in her eyes. Weren't they just laughing and enjoying themselves?

"W-what is it Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked, worried for her sensei's unusual behavior.

"It's just that...what makes you think that we could find him after all these years? Don't make the mistake of thinking that this will be my first attempt at finding him- I have sent out ANBU before. He's just so good at concealing his trail, and it's obvious that he doesn't want to be found. It was as if he just disappeared." she took a shaky breath and continued. "And even if we somehow managed to find him, how could we possibly convince him to come back to Konoha? He still thinks that I gave the orders for his banishment, you know? And I've never found him so I've never been able to tell him otherwise!"

By the end of her outburst, the Hokage was sobbing. Shizune was at her side, trying to comfort the greiving woman. The three jounin just stared at her. None of them had even considered Naruto not wanting to come back with them. He was frozen in their minds as a happy, obnoxious kid who loved Konoha with all of his heart. But now... now they were beginning to realize that they may have been wrong. A lot of things can change in five years.

Sakura placed a hand on Tsunade's shoulder. In a calm voice, she said, "Don't worry, sensei. We'll find Naruto. We'll talk with him, reason with him. And then, Tsunade-sama, we are going to bring him home."

Tsunade stopped crying and Shizune gave the pink-haired kunoichi a grateful look. It took a few minutes for Tsunade to put herself together, so everyone waited patiently.

"Now, as I was saying…" Tsunade started, back in full Hokage-mode now, "I will send two teams on an A-ranked mission to bring back Naruto. It will be you three along with another team of jounins for backup that I will personally select. Sakura, you were close to Naruto, Neji, your Byakugan will be an advantage, and Kiba we need your tracking skills along with Akamaru. You will leave tomorrow at sunrise, and meet the other team at the main gate. DO NOT BE LATE! Do you accept?"

"Yes!" the three chorused. Shizune smiled from her spot next to the Godaime. The Rookie Nine had really grown into fine ninjas.

"Dismissed," Tsunade said, and Sakura, Neji, and Kiba all left her office after a quick bow.

Once they were gone, the Godaime turned her attention to Shizune. "So, who do you think I should send with them?"

As Shizune went on and on about various jounins and the pros/cons of having them on the team, Tsunade thought about what it would be like to see Naruto again. She missed his sparkling cerulean eyes, his constantly happy demeanor, and his in-your-face personality. He had wedged himself into her heart as one of her precious people, and she would do everything she could to protect him.

'_Naruto, please be alright. We're coming.'_

_

* * *

  
_

After watching Itachi and Kisame leave their meeting spot, Naruto made a few hand signs and disappeared in a swirl of bright red flames. Back at the Akatsuki's hidden base, he hung up his unique cloak and changed into more common clothes. Naruto examined himself in a mirror.

He wore a fitted black t-shirt with the kanji for fox on the back in red, just like his Akatsuki cloak, and it highlighted his muscles nicely. He also wore common-looking plain black pants that were loose so they wouldn't hinder his movements. Typical shinobi sandals were on his feet, and he carried a kunai pouch that had had decorative red threads lining the edges. Naruto rolled his eyes, imagining Konoha's reaction to him not wearing orange. It had been sort of a tradition there, him wearing orange. But now, ugh, how he despised that color.

'_Well, I certainly don't look like I'm in Akatsuki,'_ Naruto thought, _'Which is a shame really- I'd love to see their faces when they found out I was not only part of Akatsuki, but the leader. Hell, I'd probably give them all a heart attack. If only they knew that their greatest enemy was of their own making. Haha- that's something I'd like to see. It's funny how banishment was actually the best thing for me. It's so much nicer working under my own rules than having that disgusting village holding me back.'_

His face broke into that dangerous-looking grin again, the one that always seemed to set people on edge. His impossibly blue eyes sparkled mischievously as he thought about how much fun this would be. Sure, he didn't want to go back to Konoha; he liked being governed by his own rules. But he would really enjoy killing the people that caused him so much pain. His grin widened, and the whisker-like marks on his face darkened.

"Are you ready to get some revenge?" he asked, although the room was empty.

**"It's about time, kit. I've been waiting so long for this."** Demonic laughter filled the air.

Naruto was pleased to have Kyuubi's support. To no one in particular, he announced,"Konoha, here I come."

* * *

**And that's the end of Chapter 3. Did you like it? Is there something you want to ask me about or a suggestion you would like to make? If so, please review or message me! Reviews definitely help me and encourage me- they just make me feel so good! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading so far!**


	4. You're Too Late

**By the way, I didn't know exactly what the Hidden Waterfall Village looked like, and I only had one picture to work from, so I hope my description isn't too far off.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I have made up some characters for this story**

'_Thinking'_

"Talking"

"**Demon Talking"**

**LOUD SOUND**

* * *

Two inconspicuous people walked up to a large waterfall. It was huge, and the hundreds of tons of water that rushed towards the ground created a continuous roar of fury. The two men were dressed in all neutral colors for the sole purpose of not attracting too much attention. Using a simple jutsu, they passed through the thundering water without getting even a drop on them. Looking around, they found themselves in a very dark and very large cavern. The water roared behind them as the two supposed travelers observed their surroundings. Immediately spotting a large gate, they made their way towards it. A figure instantly appeared to meet them.

"Who are you and what is your business in the Hidden Waterfall Village?" questioned the guard.

"We are simply tired travelers who wish to stay for a night in your village. It is supposed to be quite beautiful," one of the men said. He had brown hair and unusual green eyes. Those eyes flicked around as they took in everything around him.

The other stranger pulled out some documents and handed them to the guard. He looked over the papers which identified the two men before him as Masaru and Katsu, peaceful civilians who were simply fond of traveling.

The Waterfall shinobi looked at the second man for a few moments before looking back at the documents. This man had red, almost flame-like hair and dull black eyes. His face displayed no emotion, just like his partner's. Feeling slightly unnerved at the man's unusual appearance, the shinobi nodded his approval and handed back the documents.

"Welcome to our village, Masaru-san and Katsu-san," he acknowledged. The two men nodded at him.

The village guard then made a signal and a couple seconds later the large gate was pulled open, allowing them entrance to the village. The brunette and redhead exchanged a look that went unnoticed by the Waterfall shinobi and then continued forward.

It was now fairly common knowledge that the Village Hidden in the Waterfall had begun to relax it's security and now let it's allied nations know of it's location. Before, outsiders had been strictly forbidden, but now they were welcomed along with the business that they brought. So naturally, Konoha had their location, though they didn't keep it as much of a secret as they should have, and not all of their shinobi were _quite_ as loyal as they thought….

Masaru and Katsu stepped into the village, taking a look around. They were met with the sight of a peaceful looking village situated around an enormous tree. The tree was roughly the size of a large mountain, it's trunk thicker than any other tree in existence. A lake was on the other side of the tree, and the surface of it glistened in the sunlight. The air was amazingly calm and serene.

The two new arrivals shared a secret smile. On the outside, they seemed to be pleased with the view of the Waterfall village. On the inside, however, they were smirking triumphantly.

A simple henge and some forged papers had been enough to fool everyone.

A blonde kunoichi walked quickly towards Konoha's gates. As the Hokage, she had the responsibility of assigning teams to missions and making sure that the missions were successfully completed. Normally, the Godaime would just hand out the missions and that would be the end of it. However, today's mission was a bit more…special.

Six ninja were gathered at the gates. They had been told to wait for her final instructions on their mission. They all turned at the same time once they sensed her arrival.

A few greeted her with "Hello Tsunade-sama," and the others just nodded respectfully. Before the Godaime stood Sakura, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Kakashi. The silver-haired jounin watched her approach with his one visible eye.

Tsunade knew that he wanted to retire soon, but she wouldn't allow it; this mission needed his supervision. He was a strong ninja with exceptional skills and experience, and the Godaime would not let that go to waste. Kakashi had, however, been inevitably changed after the banishment of his student five years ago and his loyalty to Konoha had been severely tested.

Tsunade nodded back, smiling slightly as she looked over the rest of the group. Kiba was standing with Akamaru at his side as usual, still turned slightly towards Shikamaru, who he had been talking to before. The Nara had pretty impressive skills for someone of his age, and had even made ANBU about four years ago. That genius had yet to apply himself to his work though, due to his apparently hereditary laziness.

Her eyes shifted to Neji and Hinata. They had gotten along much better in the past few years than in their genin days. Neji used to despise Hinata because she was from the main house of their clan, the Hyuugas, and therefore deemed more important than him. However, once they really got to know each other, they had become close friends who looked out for each other. That particular hatred (on Neji's part) and nervousness (on Hinata's part) had taken a while to dissolve. Now, the two acted more like family and Hinata had almost completely gotten rid of her stutter, something Tsunade was infinitely proud of.

Sakura was standing off to the side a bit, appearing to be deep in thought. Lines of concern were etched into her face as she puzzled something out. As much as the Hokage would have liked to see the pink-haired kunoichi back to her old talkative self, she knew this was something Sakura had to do. And besides, she was an exceptional ninja with a sharp mind, so she would figure out whatever was bothering her before long.

"As you all know, your assignment is to work together to retrieve Naruto Uzumaki, jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. We have not had any contact with him in over five years, so approach with caution. Use force if necessary, but not with the intent to kill. Bringing him safely back to the village so that he can be protected from Akatsuki is your top and only priority."

The six ninja nodded, already aware of the terms of the mission. Tsunade looked them over and then continued.

"We have recently received info that a blonde-haired man greatly resembling Naruto has been spotted in Wind Country. There is a chance that it is him, so that is where I would like you to start your search. Therefore, I would recommend heading to the Hidden Sand Village."

Kakashi tensed at that. Ever since Naruto's wrongful banishment, Suna and Konoha had been at the brink of breaking their treaty. The Kazekage had been furious and would have declared war on the Hidden Leaf Village if Tsunade had not intervened. Konoha had never seen him so livid. Gaara now knew that it had all been a huge betrayal within the village, one that has not gone unpunished.

Internally, Tsunade grinned evilly as she remembered Hiashi Hyuuga's execution. As the first part of his punishment, Hiashi had been given a nasty sickness that caused his face to swell up immensely and for ugly red blisters to appear all over his body. After experiencing the pain of the villagers' rejection due to his appearance, Hiashi had been subjected to Tsunade's scalpel. Once his body had been sliced open and experimented on for two full days, which had caused him excruciating pain due to him being conscious the entire time, Jiraiya had the honor of injecting the man with a slow moving toxin. This particular poison had been Orochimaru's invention originally, one that he used whenever an enemy was no longer useful and he wanted to get rid of them while enjoying the sound of their shrieks of agony.

Even with that information, though, Gaara remained suspicious of the Hidden Leaf and rarely contacted them. There were very few meeting between him and the Hokage, and the meetings they did have were forced and painfully formal.

Hinata spoke up, voicing everyone's thoughts. "B-but Tsunade-sama, what about the Kazekage? Will he allow us into his village?"

Tsunade sighed. She really was pushing her luck a bit here, something she never seemed to have very much of in the first place. "Since we are technically still allied villages, he has to let you in; otherwise his village would look incredibly bad. I'm sure that once he hears about the purpose of your mission he will become much more agreeable." She had a strange glint in her eye after saying the last sentence. Politics were a horrible game, easily manipulated, but could also come in handy in times like this.

"Now that you have all of the information, are you ready to leave?"

"Yes!" they answered in unison.

"Perfect," Tsunade said with a proud but weary smile. She prayed that this mission would go well. _'Please Naruto….'_

The Hokage stood at the gates, watching the six shinobi (and one nin-dog) leave the village. She had wanted to personally see these ninja off to show just how important this mission was to her. With one last look at the fading forms of the jounins, Tsunade sighed and turned around to go back to her office. She quickly wiped away the tears that had started to form in her amber eyes.

After much thought, Naruto had decided to go to Wind Country. The Village Hidden in the Sand was as good of a place as any to get noticed in, and besides, he had connections there. It did help that the current Kazekage had been like a brother to him before he left Konoha. Konoha… well he preferred not to think of that traitorous village. Regardless, Naruto and Gaara had both shared the burden of being a jinchuriki and knew each other's pain. And even though Shukaku no longer resided in Gaara, their friendship never did fade. If anything, it had strengthened.

But what was he doing, reminiscing in the past? The future was what he had to look forward to.

Two days ago, Naruto had purposely made quite a scene when he saved a young woman from a group of bandits. After the ten seconds it took for him to defeat them, the woman had thanked him greatly. As a sign of her appreciation, she had brought Naruto back to the camp where her family and fifteen other people were staying and insisted he stay for dinner. When he finally left, the couple of children in the group had stars in their eyes at meeting someone so powerful, and the adults had clear looks of admiration on their faces.

Needless to say, word of the blonde shinobi had spread quickly throughout Wind Country. It never did take long for news to be passed on. Naruto estimated that it would take roughly a day before Konoha got wind of him. How perfect- now they'd know exactly where to find him without knowing it was his intention. His ingenious plan was beginning to work.

Back in the present day, Masaru and Katsu were quietly walking around the Waterfall Village. No one had so much as one suspicious thought about them, but what else could you expect from high-level shinobi such as themselves? Their disguises had to be perfect.

Continuing down one of the village's main street, Katsu pulled out a small piece of paper. On it was the drawing of an unusual young woman. She had pale green hair and strange red eyes. Masaru took a quick glance at the picture of their target before scanning the streets with his forest green eyes. After inconspicuously searching the entire street and coming up with nothing, they moved on.

Three hours later darkness began to descend upon the village and the two henged men were still searching.

'_It's a good thing that this village doesn't have any decent shinobi or we might have been discovered by now,' _thought Katsu. Beside him, his partner was thinking along the same lines.

Unknown to them, a team of three Konoha shinobi were rapidly approaching the Hidden Waterfall Village. The village's leader had sent a mission to the Godaime Hokage asking her for help protecting the village's jinchuriki, Fu. He was worried that their village might be a target for attack since they housed her. Tsunade had accepted and sent three shinobi to aid her. Ino, Choji, and Shino were the ones assigned to the mission. It was only a matter of time before they arrived at the village.

Half an hour later, Masaru and Katsu had laid eyes on a particular girl. She was sleeping peacefully in the grass, mostly hidden by the bushes surrounding her. Masaru smirked. They had finally found her.

Ino, Choji, and Shino had just arrived at the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. They passed through the enormous falls with ease and identified themselves to the village guard. He nodded and summoned two other guards to lead them to Fu while he remained at his post. The five of them set off at a moderate pace to find the jinchuriki and set up protection for her.

Not wasting any time, the man supposedly named Katsu grabbed Fu. Her eyes immediately flashed open revealing insect-like red irises with no pupils. She furiously struggled against Katsu's grasp, but it was no use. Horrified at his almost inhuman strength, Fu opened her mouth to scream, only to catch a glimpse of terrifying red eyes. She just stared into them, unable to look away.

Masaru had released his henge and now stood in front of her, his eyes boring into hers with a cold glare. His raven-colored hair made him look like part of the night itself. His pale skin looked delicate but it was obvious that he was a strong shinobi by the air of power that floated around him. But it was his terrifying Mangekyo Sharingan eyes that rendered her unable to move.

Before her stood Itachi Uchiha, a traitor to Konoha and known member of Akatsuki. Fu shuddered and tried to look away, but she just couldn't. A moment later she heard him whisper something but couldn't quite make it out. And then she blacked out.

Satisfied now that she lay motionless in his grasp, Katsu slung her over his shoulder and looked back at his partner.

"I guess there's no need for henge anymore."

'Katsu' grinned. "I guess you're right."

Itachi smirked as Katsu released his own henge. Navy hair replaced red, and strangely shark-like eyes were in place of his previous black. His skin melted into a pale blue, and gill-like markings appeared on his face. Hard muscles became visible and a large sword adorned his back.

Kisame cracked his knuckles, "Finally."

Itachi turned to Fu and quickly cast a genjutsu over her so that she appeared to be a large sack on Kisame's shoulder. "Let's go."

The Konoha nins were running beside the Waterfall shinobi, matching them step for step. It was a few moments later when they abruptly stopped.

"What is it?" Ino asked. Her bleach blonde hair had grown much longer and now flowed down her back to her waste. She still had those same side bangs that went in front of one of her eyes.

One of their escorts looked around, scanning the area for any chakra signatures.

"She should be right around here," he said. He nodded to his partner and they began to search for her. The Konoha nins quickly joined them in looking for Fu. Why was it always so hard to keep track of a jinchuriki?

Itachi and Kisame flashed in and out of view as they ran at incredible speeds. The unconscious Fu was still being carried by Kisame, and she was still disguised as a large sack. The two vanished and reappeared at the edge of a clearing, hoping to get away from the more populated parts of a village. They could not risk being seen.

"Where could she be?" asked Choji, who was starting to get an uneasy feeling.

"I-I don't know…" stuttered one of the Waterfall shinobi. _'So much for an easy mission….'_

The green-haired jinchuriki was nowhere to be found. Shino set out a swarm of his bugs to search for any unique chakra signatures. Her status as the container of a tailed beast would definitely give her unusual chakra.

Ino cast a look around the group, and wondered where this girl could possibly be. _'There wasn't any attack on the village, so where is she? Ugh this is not going to be fun if we have to be out all night looking for her.'_

Just then there was a rustling in the leaves of the trees on the other side of the clearing, which they all heard. The five ninjas stiffened and their heads whipped around to the source of the sound.

Two figures had just arrived at the edge of the clearing. Their black cloaks with red clouds were easy to recognize. Raven hair... blue skin... before them were Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. Suddenly, the two froze. Ino gasped as she locked eyes with glaring red orbs with black markings in them. Choji's eyes widened at the sight of the two Akatsuki members. The whole world seemed to freeze as the ninjas just stared at each other. The two Waterfall shinobi trembled in fear.

Itachi and Kisame were so close to reaching the edge of the village when they heard a gasp. Both missing-nins stopped in their tracks.

Itachi looked up to see five pairs of eyes staring at him and Kisame with various stages of shock.

'_Oh…shit,' _was the mutual thought.

Kisame reached for his massive sword but Itachi stopped him.

"Remember what Leader-sama said," he cautioned.

Kisame made an annoyed sound, remembering that he was given orders _not _to fight. His mood just got a lot worse. Itachi was also unhappy since he personally hated Konoha for what they did to Naruto. They had crushed the dream of a young boy for something he had no control over. It was also kind of Sasuke's fault..._'stupid little brother...'_

His inner musings were interrupted when the shinobi from Konoha got into fighting stances. _'These Akatsuki guys will definitely be hard to take down.'_ Ino examined them, trying to figure out the best way to attack. _'Wow that Uchiha sure is hot...wait WHAT AM I THINKING hes the enemy!'_ she shook her head to clear out all distracting thoughts. This was going to take a lot of focus.

Shino sent out more bugs, hundreds of them now pouring out of his sleeves. He would not go down without a fight. Choji spread his legs and began to make the appropriate handsigns for his family jutsu. Ino glanced at her teammates and was proud that they all seemed to be just as determined as her. She saw Shino's insects but had long gotten past thinking they were gross. Her blue eyes flashed.

The Konoha-nins charged. Kisame made an amused sound and a sigh came from Itachi's direction. The Waterfall nins had pretty much fainted already.

**BOOM!** Ino's fist crashed into the spot where Kisame had been standing only moments ago. Dismayed, she whirled around only to be met with a punch to the face. Ino was back on her feet in an instant, only to find that her target had once again vanished. Shino went for Itachi, followed closely by Choji. Shino let loose his bugs at the Uchiha traitor, only to find that they wouldn't go anywhere near him. A strange energy surrounded both of the Akatsuki members, something that he had never seen before. It had to be new- he had never read about it in any of the reports and something that could not have been overlooked. It appeared to be some kind of barrier that prevented them from being marked or tracked.

_'This is bad,'_ Shino thought without much emotion.

Choji was about to utter the familiar words to make his body expand but was cut off by a fist slamming into his stomach. Red eyes glared into his own as he was sent flying backwards. His attacker hadn't even broken a sweat and was just standing there as if nothing had happened. But then, Itachi vanished again. Choji's eyes widened as he felt a presence behind him. Before he could react, however, he was sent flying in the opposite direction. He was clearly outmatched.

Itachi and Kisame then vanished at the same time only to reappear a short distance away, standing right next to each other. Ino took note of their ability to function exceptionally well as a team. Then she noticed the sack on the shark-man's shoulder.

"Release!" she cried, and the genjutsu was dispelled.

They all gasped (even Shino!). Fu, the jinchuriki they had come here to protect, had been captured by Akatsuki. The worst possible thing had happened. _'Oh no...'_

Itachi gave them all the famous Uchiha glare, and then placed a hand on Kisame's other shoulder. The blue Akatsuki member grinned, winked at Ino in an exaggerated manner. Ino, Shino, and Choji were baffled, but then something unexpected happened. Black flames overtook the two missing-nins, originating from Itachi's palm. The flames flared outwards and lapped greedily at everything around them. One second it was a flaring black inferno, and the next it dissipated and then extinguished completely. When the flames cleared, the there was nothing there. The Akatsuki members had escaped. And they had another bijuu.

* * *

**That's the end of Chapter 4. I hope you liked it!  
**


	5. Deep In Thought

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto (and probably never will)**

'_Thinking'_

"Talking"

'_**Demon Talking' = **_can only be heard in Naruto's mind

"**Demon Talking" = **can be heard out loud by everyone

**LOUD SOUND / Jutsu**

* * *

The golden sand of the desert rose into the air in small clouds. Wind pushed and pulled at the minuscule particles, causing them to ripple and move much like ocean waves. Sunlight reflected off of their tiny surfaces, causing the air to be filled with glitter. A lone figure trudged through the desert, eyes slanted against the harsh winds. A typical black cloak hid most of his body from sight, as well as from the sun. A thin cloth the color of blood was wrapped around his mouth and nose to protect his lungs. The man's bright blonde hair whipped around his head as the wind picked up.

Naruto was only about an hour away from Suna. He walked leisurely through the vast dunes, for he was in no hurry. So what if it took Konoha a couple of days to find him? After all, Naruto needed some time to ponder his thoughts.

'_What should I do when I meet whoever that back-stabbing Hokage sent to retrieve me? Hah- retrieve; now I'm sounding like that traitorous bastard, Sasuke. At least not I understand why he wanted to shrug that corrupt village off of his back,'_ the blonde jinchuriki thought.

'_Teme…'_ images of the raven flashed through Naruto's mind. His lips pressed into a thin line. He hadn't seen Sasuke in five years. It wasn't just a coincidence that Naruto hadn't run into him though. No, Naruto was careful to avoid him. If that teme saw him, then he would know who Naruto really was. Who he had become.

He also couldn't have Sasuke hurting Itachi; Naruto had begun to take a liking to the elder Uchiha. Although he acted cold towards almost everyone else, Itachi occasionally opened up to the banished nin and proved to be a loyal friend.

But...when he eventually ran into the shinobi from Konoha, how should he react? Naruto tried to imagine their meeting in his mind but just couldn't. He had been away too long to accurately predict their reactions, strengths, weaknesses, etc. His original plan was to just go along with it and let them take him back to Konoha, but seriously...that would be letting them off too easily. He thought over the different options and finally decided on a course of action that would meet both of their needs. When they finally found him, he would tell them exactly how he felt and tell them how much he hates them. And then he'll put in some bad words about Konoha to make it all the more dramatic. Naruto then planned to refuse to go with them which would force the Konoha nins to take him by force. After beating the crap out of them until he was satisfied, he would 'conveniently' pass out, which would allow them to take him back to Konoha. Perfect. Both sides got what they wanted.

'_I wonder who Tsunade sent…'_ Naruto wondered with little interest. It didn't really matter, because as far as he was concerned, they were all part of the Hidden Leaf, and were therefore not worth his time.

'_Konoha…'_ the blonde growled. Painful memories instantly began to assault his mind. People he once considered precious had turned their backs on him. Old man Sarutobi…Iruka...Kakashi- no, not Kakashi. He never really believed in Naruto and probably thought he wasn't worth the effort. Kiba, Hinata, even Lee. Choji, Shino, all of the 'rookies.' He had thought of them as friends, no, more than that. They had been the family he never had.

Then there was Sakura, and that meaningless crush he had on her in their genin days. Sasuke; the person he once thought of as a brother and then hated with a passion when he left the village. The same man he now applauded for escaping that hellhole before him. Tsunade; the woman he once called his grandmother, the Hokage he had trusted with all of his heart. The woman who betrayed him and crushed his dreams by banishing him.

Naruto clenched his fists. He couldn't think about them. It hurt too much. Even as he took another step, he was shaking with fury.

'_Those people are going to pay,'_ he muttered in his head. '_Oh, and those council elders better still be in the Hidden Leaf. Those bastards -they're going to find out what real pain feels like.'_

He thought of ways he could torture and then kill them. A grin was slowly forming on his face. These were the thoughts that he comforted himself with.

'_**Just be patient, kit. You'll get your revenge on them soon enough.'**_ A deep voice echoed in Naruto's mind. This was a voice he knew very well. No, he was not schizophrenic, he just had a demon sealed inside of him. Much better.

'_I know, Kyuubi, I know. It's just so hard not to hunt them down and kill them this instant! When I think of what they've done to me it just makes me feel so angry. Like spilling their blood is the only thing that will be able to ease my pain,'_ Naruto seethed.

'_**There's no need to rush things. By the time we're done with them, they'll wish they were dead. You know how the saying old habits die hard? Well when they find out how you feel about Konoha, it'll be the same principle. Once you've hollowed out their village of any useful information, we can kill them all.'**_

Naruto liked Kyuubi's words. Much of the fox's bloodlust had been passed onto his container. Kyuubi had actually become one of his closest friends. Apparently he had not attacked the Hidden Leaf of its own will, though he never told Naruto the real reason. Truthfully, Naruto liked having the nine-tailed demon inside of him. It was like having a mentor, an older brother, something like that.

They now had a very close relationship and cared for each other deeply. Apparently Kyuubi hated the villagers for what they did to Naruto as a child and began to admire the kid as he cut his losses and accepted his banishment. He used a term of endearment, kit, for Naruto which was almost unheard of to demons. It truly showed their strong bond.

Breaking away from his thoughts, Naruto surveyed the area around him. The sand was still swirling around him but now he could just about make out a large outline on the horizon: the Hidden Sand Village. He was getting close now. Naruto debated whether or not he should run and pass the distance quickly but decided against it. He wasn't exactly eager to arrive at the most populated village in Wind Country. What he really wanted to do was stall for time.

But wandering alone in the desert really was boring. What could he do to make it more interesting? And then an idea came to him.

'_Hey Kyuubi, how would you like to get out for a bit? It would be nice to have some company out here.'_

A growl of pleasure could be heard within his mindscape. _**'I'd love to.' **_

You see, over the past year, Naruto found a way to let Kyuubi out without breaking or damaging the seal in any way. Kyuubi had actually given him the summoning contract for foxes, and Kyuubi was the boss summon, so Naruto could technically summon him into the real world. He was actually the first human to ever obtain this contract because no one had been deemed worthy of it before him. Foxes also tended to evade humans so there was not much contact between the two races.

The only problem was that most people wouldn't react too kindly to seeing the nine-tailed fox in all of its glory. It would just be déjà vu of twenty-one years ago. As an Akatsuki member, he had access to secret scrolls and forbidden jutsus, so it was only natural that he found a way to fix this minor 'inconvenience.'

Naruto found that he could summon a physical body for Kyuubi that he could then transfer the fox's consciousness into. Of course, the body had to be of a fox or the jutsu wouldn't work. By doing this, Naruto could control the amount of chakra the fox posessed in its new body and could actually fight with it just as another shinobi would fight with a nin-dog. Except as an added bonus, they still retained their mental link so they weren't limited to speaking out loud. All in all, it was the perfect solution.

Naruto loved the idea of having Kyuubi on the outside. It would be great. He didn't use it very often though because people might connect him with the nine-tailed fox but right now that was kind of the point so it didn't really matter.

It was time to begin the process. The blonde shinobi flashed through tons of hand signs. It wasn't a normal summon so it required a slightly different ritual. After the hand signs, he closed his eyes and looked to be in deep concentration. He then murmured some words under his breath before shouting, "**Summoning: Kitsune Essence!**" Naruto then sliced his finger on his canine and slammed it on the ground. "**Kitsune Soul Transfer!**" Intricate black lines spiraled out of his finger and covered the nearby ground. The lines snaked out around him, forming a circle about four feet wide.

The lines then began to glow a bright fiery red, and dissolved into the sand. A few seconds later, there was the sound of a small explosion and smoke billowed up from beneath the ground. Naruto's face settled into his trademark grin. The summoning was successful.

The smoke cleared. In it's place stood a _seven inch tall_ red-colored chibi fox. It looked to be no more than a fox kit, and it was really cute. Honestly, if there were any girls around, they would say it was adorable. The fox opened its eyes, which were a startling blood-red just like it's fur. It stretched out like a cat after an afternoon nap and uncurled it's three tails. Yes, three tails. It was still a demon fox, although at the moment not as powerful as the nine-tailed.

And then the fox spoke. **"Ahhhh this feels good. You haven't let me out nearly enough."**

Naruto chuckled. "I'm glad you like your new body, Kyuubi."

He then looked towards Suna. "It's probably time for us to get going. I'll need to face them sooner or later. Oh, and I'm gonna call you Kyu from now on since you're all chibi-fied now." He smirked.

Kyu raised an eyebrow…even though he didn't really have any eyebrows. It was actually kind of scary how human his expressions looked on the face of a fox.

"**Whatever, kit. It's fine as long as I'm out of that cage."**

"Alright. Let's go." Naruto motioned the tiny fox. Kyu crouched down and then leapt up and perched on his shoulder. After settling on it quite comfortably, he gave a quick nod. Naruto started walking again, only this time a bit faster than before. He was happy to have a physical companion now. Reegardless of what anyone said, Naruto was never the solitary type. He craved companionship.

The team of six Konoha nins was traveling rapidly through the forest and were just about at the Wind Country border. They were about halfway to Suna and were making great time. There were various emotions flowing through the group, but everyone was eager to find Naruto.

Kakashi suddenly signaled them to stop. The shinobi team abruptly landed on the ground and went into high-alert mode. Hopefully they wouldn't be mistaken for a small invasion force because the Hokage didn't send a message to Suna ahead of them. Tsunade was worried that the Kazekage would react badly and trusted the six to explain the situation completely. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all.

"What is it Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked in a low voice.

"I thought I heard something-" Kakashi started but was interrpted by a kunai being thrown at him. He neatly dodged it by flipping out of the way. The kunai embedded itself in the tree behind him. Kiba and Hinata got ready to leap away when they saw that there was a note attached to the handle of it. Shikamaru, however, realized that it was not an explosive note and relayed that information to the rest of the team.

Kiba slowly approached the tree, motioning for Akamaru to stay back. The dog whimpered but obeyed.

"Byakugan!" exclaimed both Neji and Hinata at the same time. The veins in around their eyes bulged and became more prominent. Their normally blind-looking eyes had the shadow of a pupil in them. Both Hyuugas scanned the forest around them again and again but came up with nothing. It was as if no one was there. There weren't even any lingering chakra signatures. This ninja was definitely good at hiding its presence. The Byakugan was a powerful Kekkai Genkai and wasn't something that was easy to deceive.

Akamaru began to sniff around for any enemy shinobi. Kiba stared at the kunai for a minute before reaching out for it. Kakashi and Sakura just stood back and watched. Shikamaru just...stared into space. He seemed to be content with just standing there.

Kiba removed the kunai from the tree and pulled the small slip of paper off of the handle. It was a note. Sakura walked up behind him and peered over his shoulder, reading the note at the same time. She stifled a gasp. Kakashi immediately appeared at her side and took the paper from Kiba. He read it out loud.

"To pesky Konoha nins-  
BACK OFF. The Kyuubi will be ours."

Hinata, Neji and Shikamaru stiffened. Akamaru let out a whine. This was bad.

"W-who is it from?" Hinata questioned nervously.

Kiba shook his head. "It doesn't say- there's no signature."

"How troublesome..." was Shikamaru's only reaction.

"I think it's safe to assume it's from Akatsuki. Who else could be going after Naruto? Any other evil organizations we know that you forgot to mention?" Sakura put in.

Kakashi looked like he was thinking and then shrugged. "Akatsuki seems to be the only possible conclusion. We already knew they were going after the bijuu but now...now it seems they want to intimidate us. After all, now it's going to be a race against time to see who can get to Naruto first. We didn't have such time limitations before because they could have been going after any jinchuriki, but now it is confirmed that they are going after Naruto."

"This is really bad- worse than we could have predicted. We are now after the same target as Akatsuki," Neji said in a flat voice. Inside, however, he was angry at the organization. How dare they try to hurt Naruto!

Hinata just stared at him. She thought back to when Naruto was still in Konoha. He was a loyal shinobi and probably the most determined person she ever met. Hinata remembered her crush on him, and her fists tightened in a rare display of anger. She was not going to lose Naruto again, not when they were so close to finding him.

Sakura was having similar thoughts. She was not going to lose her teammate again. "Well we'll just have to get to him first then, right?" She cracked her knuckles and tightened her gloves. Shikamaru inched away from the fiery pink-haired kunoichi.

"Yes, that's right. There's no time to get a message to the Hokage either. We have to move- NOW," Neji instructed.

Kakashi nodded, "Let's go."

And with a last look around, the Konoha shinobi launched back into the trees. They couldn't afford to waste any more time. The rest of the trip was going to be strict running with no rest.

About ten minutes later, Shikamaru spoke up. "Hey, Neji? The one thing I can't figure out is why didn't the Akatsuki member come out and attack us? I mean they could have easily snuck up on us since they threw that kunai without us being able to pinpoint their chakra signature. What's the deal with that?"

No one replied, because no one had a reasonable answer. Why _didn't _the Akatsuki attack? Were they just trying to scare the Konoha nins and give them a chance to turn back with their tails between their legs before launching an attack? Not likely.

"Regardless, we just have to move faster. We have to remember that Akatsuki often has many hidden goals. While they remain unknown to us, we do know that they want all of the tailed beasts. Naruto has the Kyuubi inside of him, so we need to protect him. End of story- let's go," Sakura said in a moment of wisdom. Everyone accepted that as a reasonable answer and put on another burst of speed.

Apparently they weren't the only ones looking for Naruto.

Once the Leaf nins left, a strange figure materialized in a tree. He appeared to have been inside of a solid object. Half of his face was pitch black, and the other half was white. Green plant-like hair matched the large plant that surrounded his body. Two glowing yellow eyes adorned his face. The Akatsuki cloak that he wore hung loosely around his unusual body.

_'__**We**__ll__** it's nice **__to mix thi__**ngs up**__ a bit,' _Zetsu thought, _'It's so __**much mo**__re fun when they__**'re terrified of us. **__I hope Leader-sa__**ma will let me h**__ave some more fun.'_

And then he once again disappeared without a trace.

Back in Konoha, Tsunade was pissed. Ino, Shino, and Choji had just returned from Waterfall Country to report a mission failure. _Failure! _Konoha had been doing so well lately and then they had to go and ruin it. But no, that wasn't the worst part. Akatsuki had another bijuu: the seven-tailed Shichibi. That means they now have five out of the nine tailed beasts! That put _him_...Naruto...in even more danger.

She read over the team's entire report and analyzed every detail of their encounter with Itachi and Kisame in an attempt to be better prepared next time. The fact that both Akatsuki members disappeared in black flames unnerved her. It appeared to be some kind of advanced teleportation jutsu. Tsunade began to get a headache. Being Hokage was **way **too much work. Too bad there wasn't anyone in Konoha that she particularly wanted to have as her successor.

Thinking about the position of Hokage just led her back to thinking about a certain blonde-haired shinobi. It seemed like all of her thoughts recently always ended up circling back to him. She just couldn't get that kid out of her mind! _'Though of course Naruto isn't a kid anymore...'_ she reminded herself.

_'Naruto, don't worry. Kakashi, Shikamaru, Kiba, Sakura, Neji and Hinata are coming to bring you home. You'll be safe in Konoha. I really hope they can find you this time,' _thought Tsunade as she remembered her previous failed attempts at finding that unpredictable ninja. He was very good at avoiding people and evading the many ANBU she sent out to look for him. Although they probably didn't try as hard as they should have, hating him for being the demon brat and all. But Tsunade had long ago forbidden them to say anything negative about Naruto. She would tell them that he was Konoha's hero and that the village would have been destroyed if it weren't for him containing the nine-tailed fox. Anyone she scolded would then hang their head in shame. Sometimes she would even give them severe training schedules as a punishment. Tsunade, being the Godaime Hokage, had absolute power over the ANBU and they had to obey every single order that she issued, whether they like it or not.

Red Sharingan eyes spun furiously in the darkness of the Akatsuki prison, quite an intimidating sight considering it was pitch black. These were the eyes of Itachi Uchiha as he dragged the limp form of an unconscious girl behind him. Itachi let Fu drop to the floor as he performed a long set of hand signs with such speed that could only be gained from lots of practice. When he was done, a red haze seemed to appear at the entrance of the cell and then dissipate. Itachi opened the unlocked door to the prison cell and grabbed Fu. He stepped inside.

Akatsuki's new leader had replaced their old prison cells with new ones that were impossible to escape from. He actually went to great lengths to ensure this, even having one of them lock him inside for a day to make sure he couldn't get out. The dark gray walls were lined with seals from floor to ceiling. These seals blocked chakra use, weakened muscles, and did a range of various other things to the captive when activated. They also couldn't be disrupted from the inside.

The Uchiha placed the green-haired girl on the floor in the middle of the cell and then stepped out. He closed the door and flashed through those same hand signs except in reverse order. The red haze appeared again out of nowhere, seeping towards the door like water flowing downhill. The crimson-colored mist then gathered around the door, completely surrounding it, and then faded out of existence. The lock was impenetrable.

Itachi silently shook his head. _'How could someone possibly think to make a locking jutsu like that? It must have taken a lot of skill to create such a powerful one. Leader-sama appears to have many hidden talents...'_ Still in thought, he vanished. In that same instant he reappeared somewhere in the Akatsuki's mountain hideout. Kisame was standing next to him.

"Did you lock her up, Itachi?" the blue man asked.

"Yes," Itachi answered simply. He then proceeded to walk away.

Normally Kisame would have been annoyed by how his partner tended to dismiss him so easily, but he was too excited by the progress they were making. These jinchuriki really weren't as well protected as they should have been. Maybe the hidden villages were stupider than they thought. Kisame chuckled a bit at the thought.

"Five down, three to go," Kisame muttered under his breath. Leader-sama would love how quickly they were accomplishing their goal.

The never ending torrent of wind seemed to have finally subsided. A shinobi with golden hair was just approaching the gates of the Hidden Sand Village. On his shoulder sat a tiny fox with red fur and red eyes. The fox didn't attract as much attention as he could have, due to his small size. Kyu hated to be stared at, so he just perched motionlessly on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto paused for a minute and looked at the thick sand walls around the city, deep in thought. He hadn't been to Suna in years and he wasn't sure if it was going to be quite how he remembered it, even though he hadn't really spent much time in this village to begin with.

His inner musings were interrupted by a deep voice. _**'Kit, are you going to move or are we just going to stand here all day? Because I'm hungry now that I have a physical body and I don't appreciate being starved.' **_Naruto internally smirked at the tiny fox on his shoulder that was staring at him with an expectant expression. Seriously, what was with those strangely human expressions? It unnerved Naruto that he could understand them so well.

_'I'm going, don't worry Kyu.' _He muttered through their mind-link.

Naruto began to walk again and headed towards one of the two jounin guards that were positioned at the gate. The Sand shinobi looked up to meet his gaze. Naruto watched, slightly amused, as the guard observed his unusually bright blonde hair and deep blue eyes. It was very convenient that the red cloth over his mouth covered the dark whisker marks that were etched into his cheeks. Of course on the outside he pretended to be oblivious to his scrutiny. Naruto hated having to hide his true skills, but he might as well get used to it.

"Please state your name and reason for coming to Suna," the guard said in a formal manner while the other jounin looked on with mild interest.

Naruto internally debated whether or not to give his real name or make up an alias, but it was Kyu who made the decision for him. _**'Tell them your name is Kenji. That name is as good of a name as any. It means 'twice as wise,' so it's makes sense, don't you think? Say your from...I don't know, Wave maybe? Besides, Konoha needs to know you're here but you don't want to make it too obvious. After all, everyone would expect you to be fairly secretive since they all assume Akatsuki is after you.'**_

After silently thanking the fox on his shoulder, Naruto said, "My name is Kenji of the Wave. I simply wish to stay in your village for a short amount of time and enjoy all it has to offer. I have heard much about the Hidden Sand Village but haven't been here myself. Other travelers speak very highly of Suna."

That seemed to be enough to convince the guard. Naruto's, or should I say, 'Kenji's' air of confidence made him easy to believe. Naruto pulled out some papers from his cloak, discreetly waved his hand over them, and then handed them to the Sand shinobi. The guard was oblivious to the simple yet pretty much undetectable genjutsu he had just placed over the document. After briefly studing 'Kenji's' traveling papers, the jounin guard nodded and waved the blonde man through. Naruto found it difficult to keep a victorious smirk off of his face, so it was a good thing that the red cloth obscured his expression. _'These villages really need to have better security...'_

"Welcome to Suna," was the last thing Naruto heard before the large sand gates closed behind him. The blonde jinchuriki swept his gaze over the city that was sprawled out before him. Yes, it was still as beautiful as he remembered. The afternoon sun caused the city to literally sparkle as he looked at it.

_'How long do you think we'll be able to stay here before Konoha arrives, Kyu?' _he asked the three-tailed fox. It was a good thing that the Kyuubi had the ability to repress his chakra in this form or the village's shinobi might sense it's presence. Although Kyu wouldn't be recognized as a demon, that would still attract unnecessary attention.

_**'A while, I hope. I'm already starting to like this village,'**_ Kyu silently replied from his spot on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto nodded in agreement. He had always liked Suna.

Naruto and Kyu were content to wander around the village for an hour. The large golden buildings that were expertly sculpted out of sand were quite the sight to behold. The Kazekage's palace in the middle of the city was also quite the sight to behold, adding to Suna's appearance like a diamond ring in a jewelry box. The Hidden Sand Village was truly beautiful.

Kyu was also transfixed by the many sights and sounds around them. It had been many years since either of them had been out of the Akatsuki's secret base, let alone in a large, populated city. It was quite the change from their previous scenery. Naruto felt him self unconsciously being drawn to the Kazekage's tower without realizing it.

Before he knew it, Naruto was standing not very far from the magnificent building. It towered above everything else, displaying it's importance.

_'Wait...should we let Gaara know we're here or not? I mean he __**is **__the Kazekage but would it be beneficial to us in any way or just more trouble...' _the blonde pondered this. It was a good thing that Akatsuki already extracted Shukaku from Gaara- Naruto really wouldn't have wanted to betray his friend. Of course, Naruto hadn't even been a part of Akatsuki when they captured Gaara. Naruto had actually been one of the Konoha nins who went to save him. And luckily Gaara is still alive. So, crisis averted and Gaara and Naruto were still very good friends. It also helped that Gaara has no idea that Naruto is now in Akatsuki...

He didn't realize that he was standing right next to a small restaurant that just happened to be one of the most popular places to eat in all of Suna. A single figure stepped out of the small building, paused, and then began to make its way towards him. Naruto didn't even notice because he was so lost in thought.

_**'Um...' **_Naruto didn't even notice Kyu's subtle warning. He was too busy thinking about the best way to talk to Gaara or if he should even talk to him. How could the Kazekage factor into his plan?

_**'Hey...Naruto?' **_Again, Kyu's comment went unnoticed. One of his tails twitched in agitation. He was about to attack the blonde's face to get his attention when the object of his warning did it for him.

"...Naruto?" someone asked, which snapped the jinchuriki out of his reverie. That definitely wasn't Kyu, and no one in Suna should know who he is...Naruto whirled around, only to find himself face to face with someone who was very familiar. Intimidating seafoam green eyes bore into his cerulean orbs. Bright red hair stood out against the pale blue sky. The eyes seemed to hold a bit of surprise, which then turned into an incredulous stare. Naruto's cerulean eyes narrowed before widening in recognition.

"...Gaara?"

* * *

**And that's the end of Chapter 5. I hope you liked it. Yes, I know 5 + 3 = 8 and not 9, but you're forgetting that they don't need to capture Kyuubi since Naruto is the leader of Akatsuki. Okay let me make this clear- Naruto is NOT going after Shukaku. Akatsuki already has Shukaku, and Naruto does NOT want to hurt his friend in any way. Also, Akatsuki already had Shukaku BEFORE Naruto was banished. Okay? NARUTO IS NOT GOING AFTER GAARA.**

**So, what do you guys think? As always, please review! I read EVERY SINGLE review! I honestly sit at the computer and refresh the review page if I have nothing better to do. **


	6. They're Here

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (do I really have to keep saying this?)**

'_Thinking'_

"Talking"

'_**Demon Talking' **_=can only be heard in Naruto's mind

"**Demon Talking" **= can be heard by everyone

**LOUD SOUND / Jutsu**

To many people, Suna was the oasis in the middle of the desert. The Hidden Sand Village was the pride and joy of Wind Country because of the way the entire village sparkled like a precious gem. It would always be such a relief for exhausted travelers to finally spot the village that they wouldn't be surprised if it was be a mirage. Suna often shone with a golden light as the sand reflected the rays of the sun from sunrise until sunset. More often than not, this village held a peaceful atmosphere. The next few days, however, would not be peaceful. Not by a long shot.

In the midst of the Hidden Sand Village, two old friends were staring at each other, one's seafoam green eyes burning into the other's cerulean blue. Gaara no Sabaku, Kazekage of the Hidden Sand, was shocked to say the least. His eyes were wide with surprise and disbelief as he gazed at the blonde man in front of him. Gaara watched him with a strange intensity, thousands of questions burning in his eyes.

The other man, Naruto Uzumaki, was staring at the Kazekage with many of the same emotions visible on his face. When he heard someone calling his name, he had definitely not expected it to be his old friend and ex-jinchuriki Gaara no Sabaku. The second Naruto had spun around, Gaara's usually impassive face had blatantly shown his shock at actually being correct in his assumption.

It was a few moments before either of them spoke.

"Naruto…it's really you…" the red-headed Kazekage whispered, his eyes never drifting from the blonde shinobi's face.

"Yes, Gaara. It's really me," Naruto replied, a smile slowly appearing on his face. "I'm actually surprised that you recognized me so quickly, Gaara."

"It was just a wild guess. The hair was the biggest clue though. No one has that same bright yellow color as you." Gaara seemed to have gotten considerably more talkative throughout the years.

Naruto put on his idiotic guise and just stood there grinning. Behind that stupid mask, however, his unnaturally sharp mind processed each and every scrap of information.

Naruto liked that Gaara still accepted him. Gaara still counted him as a friend and that was nice. After all, the two of them had been very close before his banishment. It was a change to meet someone from his past who hadn't betrayed him.

Naruto's sharp eyes observed how Gaara had changed in the past five years. Dark circles still surrounded the ex-jinchuriki's eyes, accentuating his pale complexion. His bright red hair was still the same length as Naruto remembered it, and he wore the Kazekage robes, which was expected. Gaara seemed to be slightly more muscled than before, though still leaner than many other shinobi. Though those eyes, those seafoam green eyes were still the same. They were deep and brooding almost, and looked as if they held thousands of secrets.

It was obvious that Gaara was watching Naruto as well. The Kazekage was taking in all of the changes that five years time had brought upon Naruto. Aside from the physical changes, there seemed to be something…off about him. His eyes were still the same brilliant blue, but they didn't have as much of a sparkle as they used to. It seemed to come across as more of a cold glint now. Actually, the whole aura around the blonde wasn't as carefree and friendly as it used to be. He seemed to be more reserved and calculating, which was not what Gaara expected.

It was the Kazekage who spoke up. "But Naruto, where were you? I sent out countless teams of shinobi to find you, but none of them even got wind of your existence. It was as if you had just… disappeared." The redhead frowned, thinking of his inability to find his blonde friend sooner.

It was just too easy for Naruto to come up with a more than believable excuse. "Actually, I was in hiding. Let's just say that without a connection to any of the great ninja villages, I'm an easy target for a…certain organization" Naruto knew that Gaara would get the hint.

Gaara nodded in understanding, still taking in the fact that Naruto was still alive and standing before him, after five years of being on his own. "Ah yes, the Akatsuki," Gaara mused, his voice sizzling with hatred, "they seemed to have been dormant for the longest time until recently, when their activity began to increase rapidly. As of a couple days ago, they had four bijuu, but now we just heard disturbing news from the Hidden Waterfall Village. Apparently the Akatsuki took Fu, jinchuriki to the seven-tailed Shichibi, right under their noses."

Naruto's eyes widened and a shocked expression overtook his features, which soon melted into a more nervous one. Oh yes, he's quite the actor, isn't he? Of course Naruto knew about this, but he still had to keep up his little charade. For now.

He was actually quite pleased that Gaara hated the Akatsuki so much. This meant that the Kazekage would never connect him with it.

"That's not good news, Gaara. Now there is a greater chance of them coming after me this time," Naruto rubbed his temples in mock worry. He closed his eyes, pondered something for a minute, before his impossibly blue orbs locked onto the Kazekage's.

Gaara raised an eyebrow, resisting the urge to fidget under such an intense gaze. Since when could someone get to him like that?

"Gaara, since I'm here, do you think that I could maybe spend a couple of days in Suna? I mean, with a city this large I doubt Akatsuki would be able to launch an attack. No one even knows I'm here," the deceitful blonde looked at the Kazekage hopefully.

Naruto saw Gaara's eyes cloud with painful memories. He knew exactly what the Kazekage was thinking about. His battle with Deidara, his capture, and then his death. Not pleasant thoughts by a long shot. After a few moments, however, his eyes cleared and his head snapped up.

"Of course, Naruto, you can stay. Hell, stay as long as you like; it is the least I can do. Suna offers protection to all of those who live within its walls."

Naruto grinned and gave the redhead a grateful look. "Thanks Gaara!" he said happily.

Gaara paused for a minute and looked back at the blonde. "By the way, Naruto, how did you get into Suna?"

"Oh," Naruto scratched his head sheepishly, "I may have used an alias…"

To his pleasure, Gaara just rolled his eyes and gave an understanding nod. Naruto was surprised himself by feeling immeasurably happy to have such a loyal friend. After saving Gaara from himself, they had been very close. It was just an added bonus that Gaara didn't gossip about everything that went on in his life.

"It's good to have you back, Naruto. Temari and Kankuro were worried about you as well."

"It'll be nice so see some familiar faces after being alone for some time." Naruto was actually looking forward to seeing the rest of the sand siblings again. Why hadn't he come to Suna sooner? He absentmindedly stroked the almost-forgotten fox on his shoulder.

Gaara smiled a true smile and motioned for Naruto to follow him. Their little staring contest seemed to have been gaining bit of an audience. Naruto followed dutifully as Gaara led him into the Kazekage's tower. He glanced around before stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

Sakura, Kiba, and Hinata were completely exhausted, although they tried their best to hide it. Akamaru was dragging his tail as he attempted to keep up with his master. Kakashi and Neji both had exceptional endurance and were only beginning to feel the strain of their journey. Shikamaru…well Shikamaru looked like he was sleeping, if that was possible to do while running. In reality he was just kind of zoned out and dutifully keeping pace with the rest of the group.

They had been able to see Suna in the distance for a while now, though it hadn't looked like they were getting any closer. What was it about deserts that made distances seem so much longer than they actually were?

Sakura wiped the sweat off of her brow. It was nearing nightfall, yet the temperature was still much higher than in Konoha. She felt as if the sun was beating down directly on her. However, she was willing to push past her physical discomfort in order to reach Suna tonight. They needed to find Naruto.

'_I'll never forgive myself if we're too late. Please be in Suna, Naruto. We'll bring you home. I won't let the Akatsuki get their hands on you because…because I…I….' _Sakura didn't know how to finish that thought. Naruto had been the one thing in her life, the person she never expected to lose. He was her rock. And when Naruto was banished, his absence tore a hole through her heart. You never knew what you had until it was gone.

Hinata was clenching and unclenching her fists as she ran. _'What will it be like to see Naruto? I haven't so much as heard of him for five years and now all of a sudden we have been given the chance to bring him back to Konoha. To his home. I wonder what he'll look like now….'_ Hinata's cheeks flushed as she wandered off in thought, but it was unnoticeable to the others beneath her already red face. She found herself thanking no one in particular that they were running as hard as they were.

Shikamaru was trying to picture Naruto. He was trying to mentally age the image of the younger Naruto that he held in his mind, but it really wasn't working. Shikamaru really did want to see the blonde for himself. For some strange reason, a shiver ran through his spine at the thought. _'Well that seemed a little foreboding…'_

Meanwhile, Kakashi didn't know what to think. He knew that he had failed Naruto as a teacher and lost his chance to be considered one of the boy's precious people. Did Naruto hate him? Did Naruto forgive him? _'What will it be like to see him for the first time in five years? I wonder if his personality has changed… after all it must have been tough living on your own for five years with the world's most powerful evil organization on your tail. Naruto, please be okay.' _The jounin's single visible eye clouded with worry.

Finally, the six Konoha shinobi reached the gates of the Village Hidden in the Sand. Most of the group panted with relief, but at the same time were nervous for the looming encounter with a certain blonde man. They had no idea what he was like. It was as if he just appeared back in the world after vanishing for quite some time.

The Sand guards raised an eyebrow at them. "Leaf nins? The Kazekage did not inform us of your coming."

Kiba was about to jump forward when Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Our Hokage wished for us to tell the Kazekage our mission details directly. She did not mention our visit because it involves a matter of great importance to both Kazekage-sama and ourselves. We respectfully ask to be let through." The copy-nin looked up to see if his words had any effect on the two chuunin.

Both Sand shinobi looked at each other, sharing a private glance that did not go unnoticed by Kakashi and Neji, and then nodded. "Fine, but if you cause any trouble…well let's just say that it would be in Konoha's best interest for you to keep your visit as quiet and _short_ as possible."

Hinata looked down and Sakura flinched at the not-so-discreet warning. How bad had relations between Konoha and Suna really gotten? Neji glared at the guards, resisting the urge to let out a growl of frustration. Although, he had to admit, it was impressive that Naruto had affected the people of this village so strongly. The Kazekage nearly severed the alliance with Konoha just because of him.

Shikamaru just stared at them lazily with half-closed eyes, though his teammates knew that he was actually taking note of everything and everyone around them with undeniable accuracy. Having a genius like him on the team really was an advantage.

Kakashi merely swallowed his pride and nodded at the guards. Without another word, he led the other five Konoha shinobi past them. The silence was so tense that he probably could have cut it with a kunai.

A couple steps later and they were officially in the great Hidden Sand Village. Suna truly was just as amazing as all of the stories said. Kakashi, along with most of the team, had been there before, but it was still amazing none the less. Even in the dimming sunlight, the golden sand sparkled elegantly. It was a deceivingly beautiful atmosphere.

Naruto and Gaara had been talking in the Kazekage's office for over an hour now. They were catching up on the past few years, although Gaara noted that Naruto really didn't give much information up. It was obvious that Naruto either just didn't want to talk about his past or that he was hiding something. _'No,' _Gaara shook his head, _'he's probably just had a hard time. Getting banished from your village is not the easiest thing. Konoha…'_ Gaara's moods suddenly changed. That village was definitely not to be trusted. They had done a horrible thing to Naruto; mercilessly crushed his dreams and cast him out.

It was at that moment that he recalled something the Hokage had said, something about a Hyuuga manipulating the entire council while she was away… nah. Even though the village had supposedly gone behind the Godaime's back, he just didn't feel right telling that to Naruto. He had just regained a precious friend and wasn't willing to jeopardize their friendship so soon after they renewed it.

Temari and Kankuro, Gaara's brother and sister, were casually leaning against the wall. They were easily making conversation with Naruto as if he had never left in the first place. Gaara was amazed at how easily they accepted him back. Naruto definitely had some kind of gift for making friends, that much was clear. The blonde was a good leader, had lots of confidence, and naturally drew people towards him. It was too bad about Konoha's inner turmoil; Naruto would have made a great Hokage, or at least a leader of some kind.

Oh, if he only knew how right he was….

Meanwhile, Kyu was staring at Shukaku's previous container. Even though his brother had been extracted years ago, Kyu could still smell his demon spirit on Gaara. Being a jinchuriki marked you for life and was not something that you could get rid of. Kyu narrowed his eyes. Yes, Gaara could still control the sand, although not nearly as well as when Shukaku still resided in him.

The tiny fox was actually surprised that not one of the three Sand shinobi had even noticed his presence yet. Sure, he was small, but really? Not even a flicker of anything in their eyes? It was impressive how Naruto captured their attention so easily. Maybe remaining hidden would be a good idea…the three-tailed fox demon gently wiggled further down on his container's shoulder, where he would be out of view.

The four friends were smiling and having a good time, and Kyu was happy to see Naruto smiling so much. True, he had friends in the Akatsuki, but he was still their leader. Here everyone was an equal, status as Kazekage aside. It was nice for a change.

Kakashi and the rest of his six-person team were wandering around Suna. They had no idea where to start looking for Naruto, and were hesitant to go directly to the Kazekage. Would he allow them to stay? Would he even give away any information on Naruto's whereabouts if he had it? There were just too many unanswered questions.

Sakura, Hinata, and Shikamaru were content in just looking around the village in case a certain blonde could be seen walking in the streets. Neji and Kiba wanted to take a more direct approach but Kakashi ordered them to all stay together since relations with Suna were already rocky. The two looked slightly annoyed but still agreed.

Two hours later, darkness descended upon the desert. It was much colder than they would have thought, and all of the Konoha nins began to make their way to the Kazekage's office, unable to find their way around it.

Naruto was thoroughly enjoying his time with Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. He had stayed in the Kazekage for most of the day since it wouldn't exactly be beneficial if the citizens of Suna asked too many questions about this new person who seemed to be very close with their respected Kazekage. Naruto had pretty much given Konoha enough indirect information to figure out that he was here, in the Hidden Sand Village. There was not need to send out such a huge beacon alerting them of his presence.

After their long conversation, which lasted most of the afternoon, it was obvious how Naruto felt about Konoha by the way that he spat the name and spoke of it with disgust. Honestly, none of the shinobi in the room could blame him. They would feel the same way. Talking with him just deepened their feelings of distrust towards the Hidden Leaf.

Naruto truly enjoyed their company, but a quick glance out the window told him that it was time to leave. By the looks of it, the sun had set quite a long time ago. Night had settled onto the sprawling sand village, and the sliver of a glowing moon could be seen in the distance.

Naruto blinked and looked around Gaara's office. Temari was fiddling with one of her smaller fans and flashed him a grin when she noticed him looking. Kankuro, who had been talking with her a moment ago, had gone back to polishing his newest puppet. Gaara, as Kazekage, was just finishing up some paperwork at his desk. Naruto put away the kunai he had been twirling around on his finger and stood up. They all glanced up at him.

"Well guys, thanks for having me, but it's getting pretty late so it's probably time for me to leave," Naruto said, grateful for their generosity.

Gaara stood up and handed him a piece of paper. "There's a nice inn a short walk from here. The directions are on that paper. Show it to the owner and they'll put your stay on the village's tab."

Naruto thanked Gaara and shook his hand in a friendly manner, then did the same to Kankuro. He was about to offer his hand to Temari when there was a blur of blonde. Naruto blinked, suddenly finding Temari hugging him. Surprised, Naruto returned the hug. That was odd… he didn't think Temari was the hugging type. He suddenly realized that it had been a very long time since some hugged him.

After saying his goodbyes, Naruto left the room and descended the stairs from the Kazekage's tower into the street. Kyu, who had been hiding in his cloak, suddenly appeared on his shoulder.

'_**Those three seem to share your opinion on Konoha, kit,'**_ the fox rumbled in his mindscape. Naruto nodded internally. The fox was no doubt apply that to their future plans.

'_Yes, they sure do. It's amazing how much one event can completely destroy village relations,'_ the blonde jinchuriki mused.

Kyu let out a happy sound and affectionately wrapped a tail around Naruto's neck. _**'It's a nice break from our stressful lives,'**_ he agreed. Naruto grinned.

It didn't take long for them to get to the inn. It was run by a nice old lady who seemed to be surprised that the Kazekage sent him. "You must be a very good friend of his," she had commented. Naruto had then twitched, having hoped to get by without a conversation. He was struggling with acting so happy and carefree. He really just wanted time alone.

After exchanging a few polite words, Naruto found himself in a nice-sized room with a single bed and some basic furniture. He didn't even bother unpacking, knowing he would have to leave soon.

'_**Hey, kit, I'm going out for a bit,'**_ the crimson bundle of fur spoke from it's place on the bed, _**'Let's see if those Konoha nins are even here yet. Slow bastards…'**_

The blonde shinobi just nodded absentmindedly and said it was fine as long as he wasn't seen. Naruto also reminded Kyu that he could just unsummon himself to escape any potentially troublesome situations. The small fox snorted and then disappeared into the night.

Naruto just sighed and turned towards the window. He slowly slipped out and perched on the roof. The blonde raised his eyes to the sky and easily spotted a couple constellations. Nightfall in the desert was truly magnificent. Naruto sighed again and just gazed up at the crescent shape of the moon, breathing in and out in a calming manner.

Gaara was in his office alone, his sister and brother long gone. The Kazekage was gazing out at the sky much like our blonde jinchuriki. He didn't mind staying up late; old habits always seemed to almost comfort him.

There was an abrupt knock on the door. Gaara, being the only one in the room, sighed and sunk into his chair. It was far too late for anything like this.

"Come in," was his curt greeting. There was no need to be nice to people he didn't know.

Six shinobi stepped into the room. One shut the door behind them. _'These people seem familiar…' _a sense of foreboding appeared in the back of his mind. Gaara's green eyes flicked towards their headbands. It was blatantly obvious what village they were from. '_Konoha.'_ Gaara almost growled the name in his mind.

Sakura, Kakashi, Kiba, Akamaru, Neji, Hinata, and Shikamaru hesitated before entering the Kazekage's office. When Kakashi slowly pulled open the door, Kiba could sense the a feeling of unease in the air. Upon seeing them, Gaara's face hardened. This wasn't looking good so far.

Sakura and Hinata shivered at the terrifying shinobi. They used to be friends with him, but he had severed most ties with Konoha long ago.

As soon as all six Leaf shinobi had assembled in front of him, Gaara spoke with a quiet but deadly voice. "Please explain to me why you are in my village. You Hokage has not sent any word about a large group of Leaf nin appearing in Suna." His words were sharp and to the point. His tone hinted at annoyance.

"We apologize, Kazekage-sama, but we have come for a matter of great importance." It was Kakashi who spoke.

Gaara didn't grace them with a reply, and only raised one of his nonexistent eyebrows. He hoped this wouldn't take long.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "We have come to find Naruto Uzumaki."


	7. Stay Away From Me

**Here is the second part of the huge piece that I split into Chapter 6 and Chapter 7. Don't worry, the following updates will be much more eventful and intense- these chapters just needed to be written and I really had to force myself to get them over with. They need to be in here, but weren't the most fun to write. The real fun will start soon!**

* * *

_'Thinking'_

"Talking"

_**'Demon Talking'**_ =can only be heard in Naruto's mind

**"Demon Talking"** =can be heard by everyone

**LOUD SOUND / Jutsu**

* * *

It was the middle of the night and the Kazekage was up late. Staring out his window at his darkened city seemed to calm him down and help him to relax. The nice view was an abrupt change from his stressful day. Suna was really quite beautiful after nightfall, although sadly few people ever noticed. The redhead was actually in a fairly calm mindset, something that he had gradually perfected over the years.

However, his calm demeanor had changed the instant those six Konoha nin stepped into his office. What. Did. They. Want? Gaara could identify them all: Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno, Neji Hyuuga, Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shikamaru Nara. Not exactly the people he wanted to see right now. They were from Konoha, a village that was vile and untrustworthy in his opinion. After what they had done to Naruto, his opinion of the village had quickly diminished.

Needless to say, he was now in a foul mood. Gaara was not on the best terms with the Hokage and held off visiting Konoha for as long as possible while still keeping the treaty. A treaty that he was now beginning to rethink. And now they barge into his office and tell him that they come to take Naruto back to Konoha? _'Hah, well that's not gonna happen you ungrateful Leaf shinobi.'_

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes; he could almost feel the shockwaves of tension travel throughout the room. That was never a good sign. But, why did the Kazekage react like that? _'He must know something…'_

Temari, who had just entered the room, looked at them with an unfathomable expression. Gaara knew that she often stayed up late though he had no idea why she was here. Temari just leaned against the wall without a word. The two siblings had the exact same look on their face; blank, but somehow hinting at distrust. They obviously didn't want to give a single thing away. The Leaf shinobi were visibly confused at their reactions.

Gaara was internally surprised at how direct the Leaf was. They definitely expected to just have Naruto handed over to them. The redhead's eyes shifted off to the side. _'Well if they're looking for Naruto, I'm not going to make it any easier for them. If he wants to go back, then fine. If not, there is nothing that Konoha can do about it.'_

"Why?" he asked sharply, "Why are you looking for Naruto Uzumaki?"

"We have orders to bring him back to Konoha and protect him from the Akatsuki. He is from Konoha originally and so it would be best for us to take him back there." Neji was the one who spoke.

Gaara considered that they wanted to protect him, but did not change his mind. All he did was stare at the Leaf nins with that infuriatingly emotionless face. Temari began to toy with one of her fans, flicking its deadly edge in and out of sight.

"Are we talking about the same shinobi that you banished five years ago?" The Kazekage had apparently struck a sensitive spot. All of the Konoha nin looked ashamed. Kiba was about to argue the point, but Gaara raised a hand to silence him. Kakashi was obviously annoyed but said nothing.

Furious red eyes flashed in a shadowed corner of the room. The motion was missed by all but one of the room's occupants.

Gaara's eyes flicked over to that spot, but his searching gaze found nothing amiss.

* * *

Unknown to the shinobi, a small red fox slipped out of the window of the Kazekage's office, seething with anger. He ignored the rest of the conversation and leaped to the ground. Kyu's three tails spiraled furiously in agitation as he stalked through the shadowed streets.

_**'Those ungrateful humans…expecting my kit to be handed over to them just like that. Expecting him to once again rejoin their village after a just few kind words and empty promises,'**_ the fox spat. He had always hated Konoha, now more than ever. Yes, he knew this was coming, but those cocky nins from Konoha acted so superior, as if they had some kind of a claim on Naruto. They thought that his kit was some kind of idiot who loved Konoha no matter what. Ridiculous. Even though he didn't intentionally attack Konoha that night so many years ago, he was suddenly quite satisfied that he did. Oh, how Kyu wished that he could just sink his teeth into their flesh, and let them drown in their own blood.

But no, it was never quite that simple.

Kyu reluctantly suppressed his blood lust and headed back to the inn.

* * *

The next day came quickly. Naruto got up at the crack of dawn, as he often did, and found Kyu snuggled into his side, still asleep. _'It's hard to picture Kyu as a demon when he's in a cute little form like that,'_ Naruto thought, _'And he plays the role so well!' _Putting his thoughts aside, the blonde slipped out of the room and away from the inn. Being in close proximity to unknown people always made him uneasy, even as a young child. Naruto leisurely made his way to the Kazekage's private training grounds, which Gaara allowed him to use as much as he'd like. Who knew a former psychopath could be so generous?

Over the course of the next few hours, Naruto practiced some jutsus and pounded multiple training dummies into piles of dust. He even used shadow clones to spar against, though he made sure to only use about a quarter of his true strength. He also resisted using powerful jutsus or ones he had picked up since become the Akatsuki leader. Signature jutsus could easily be recognized, and no one needed to know his true strength or his real identity. People could be watching him anywhere and everywhere, so the less they knew the better.

Naruto paused, panting, and looked up at the sky. By the position of the sun, he figured it was around 9:00 in the morning. He should probably head back o the inn. Maybe he and Kyu could have some fun before he was 'captured'.

But, a few minutes later, he figured that it would be a good idea to check in with Gaara before he did much else. He was in Gaara's village, after all, so he had to show at least some respect. They all thought he was some kind of homeless wanderer so the more appreciation he showed the better.

Another thought suddenly caused Naruto to cast a weak genjutsu that would prevent anyone from seeing what he was doing. He crouched down, although to anyone on the outside it would have looked like he was still standing up and staring off into space. A deceiving jutsu like this was always useful when he needed to be away from prying eyes.

The shinobi performed about fifty hand signs that were too fast for the unaided human eye to follow. He then pressed his hands together and started to channel chakra into his eyes, much like someone with a kekkai genkai like that Sharingan or Byakugan would. Naruto gently closed his eyes and then suddenly opened them after a few seconds. Instead of seeing the sand of the Kazekage's training grounds, however, he was now looking at a place far outside of Suna's walls. A large sand dune made a small camp nearly invisible to passerbys. Naruto squinted and his vision moved further, and he could make out the outlines of two people who were crouching next to each other. Their features became clearer and clearer, and he could tell that they were in a deep conversation.

"Itachi, Kisame," Naruto stated. The two men's heads whipped up from their conversation and looked around for any signs of an intruder. They quickly realized that no one was there.

You see, this is one of Naruto's original jutsus. By keeping perfect concentration on the flow of chakra into his eyes, he was able to transport his vision virtually anywhere he wanted to. Even though his physical body was still within Suna, Naruto could see Itachi and Kisame's camp as if he was standing right there. Another added bonus: he could speak to them. Even if someone where to completely scan the area for his chakra signature, they would find none. Ah, the perks of being a shinobi master.

"Leader-sama," Kisame and Itachi greeted him respectfully once they had caught on. Only the Akatsuki had the ability to sense his presence when using this jutsu. Otherwise they'd probably think that they were going crazy.

"Is there any news from our sources?" Naruto asked them, referring to a secret ongoing mission that had been planned for quite a while now.

Itachi shook his head, eyes cast slightly downward. The man obviously held great respect for Naruto, something that could not be said for most of his previous superiors.

"Okay. Please inform me when there is word," the Akatsuki leader instructed. With a quick goodbye, he dismissed the jutsu and found himself back in the middle of Suna. Naruto quickly noted that his flawless genjutsu was still holding up.

Running a finger over the edge of a kunai, Naruto drew blood. He brushed the dripping finger against a pale mark on his arm. The mark looked much like a scar from a nasty bite, which is exactly what it was. Kyuubi had bitten Naruto and by doing that gave him a way of summoning the beast if he wasn't near him. Now that came in handy. If you looked at the mark closely, you would be able to make out small gashes that greatly resembled Kyu's razor-sharp teeth. Within a few seconds, the cut on his finger had healed, but the message had been sent.

An almost unnoticeable rush of wind blew past Naruto's body, and he greeted the small red fox that was now sitting on his shoulder. _'Hey, Kyu. I think it's time for us to check in with Gaara. Maybe we'll get to enjoy out time here before having it interrupted by some annoying gnats from the Leaf.'_

_**'Agreed. Ah, being summoned is so invigorating.'**_ Naruto left Kyu to his own thoughts.

The blonde shinobi turned and headed towards the Kazekage's tower. On the way there, he conversed with Kyu, determined to enjoy any free time they had left. It wasn't until it was too late that he suddenly noticed the six distinct chakra signatures that had just appeared behind them. Naruto didn't even need to look back to know who those people were. Kyu got wind of them too. _**'Oh. Shit... well this is annoying.'**_

"N-Naru-to?" asked a hesitant voice from behind them. Naruto steeled his emotions and strengthened all of his mental barriers. With obvious reluctance, he slowly turned to face the shinobi from Konoha.

* * *

All of the Leaf nins had just woken up for the day and were going to meet with the Kazekage again. Last night he had dismissed them fairly quickly and told them that it was too late for such talk. Although he seemed awfully glad to get rid of them, they were definitely not going to give up. At least Gaara had directed them towards a suitable place to stay.

Kiba was attempting to make conversation with Hinata when they suddenly heard a gasp. The two spun around and were joined by Kakashi, Neji, and Shikamaru. The gasp had come from Sakura. Everyone stared at her, wondering why tears had started to form in her eyes. The pink-haired kunoichi was visibly trembling, and her breath was coming out in short gasps. Sakura's complexion had also paled considerably. Neji ran to his teammate in an instant. Her eyes were focused on one point and she didn't even give any notice that her teammates were all looking at her.

"Sakura, what is it?" the Hyuuga asked quickly, concern visible in his eyes. Kiba looked at Sakura with the same question plastered all over his face.

Kakashi had the sense to turn his head to look at whatever had captivated her attention. His one eye widened and his body stiffened in shock. Sensing the change in the man, Hinata looked from him to Sakura, desperately trying to figure out what was wrong. And then her gaze landed on what they were both staring at. Now it was her who had to restrain herself from fainting.

Standing maybe twenty feet in front of them was the unmistakable form of the object of their visit: Naruto Uzumaki. He seemed to be staring out into space as he walked casually along the abandoned road. Sakura suddenly felt warm tears begin to spill out of her eyes. She had never expected to get this emotional. Here was her teammate, standing a short distance in front of them. _'Naruto... I have finally found you...'_

Now the entire team of Konoha shinobi were staring wide-eyed at the back of Naruto Uzumaki. He was right there! Kiba's eyes filled with excitement, while Neji's took on a hint of uncertainty. Kakashi's emotions were unreadable. Even Shikamaru was caught off-guard by Naruto's sudden appearance.

"N-Naru-to?" Sakura called out in a shaky voice.

The shinobi in front of them suddenly stiffened. His shockingly blonde hair began to sway in the wind. And then he turned.

It seemed as if time slowed down just at that moment. More and more of his face became visible as he turned to face them. Sakura almost collapsed to her knees. Here he was, her teammate, her friend...he was here! He would be in her life once again! Sakura's hopes rapidly began to rise.

Their gazes all locked onto his face.

Naruto slowly turned around to look them in the eyes.

...And then sent them a glare that could freeze hell itself.

* * *

**And that is the end of Chapter 7. In case you missed what I said before, I had originally written Chapter 6 and 7 as one long chapter but it didn't really work out. A lot of editing later and I had two good-sized additions to my fanfic... though this turned out a bit short. What really annoyed me is that sometimes my revisions weren't saved even after I hit the 'save' button. Grrrr. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! In case it has not yet been made extremely obvious, I. Love. Reviews. Thank you to everyone who reads my story! **


	8. Oblivious

**I've finally updated! Here's Chapter 8! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

'_Thinking'_

"Talking"

"**Demon Talking" =can be heard by everyone**

'_**Demon Talking' **_**= can only be heard in Naruto's mind**

**LOUD SOUND / Jutsu **

Everything was quiet. The usual sounds of birds chirping, people murmuring, and children squealing all seemed to melt away under the intense atmosphere. The area was invaded with absolute silence. The two groups involved were standing no more than twenty feet apart, but the distance could have been miles. One icy glare sliced through the air like a kunai and embedded itself into six hearts. You could hear each individual breath, one shaking with unshed tears. But, as usual, the silence was soon broken.

"Naruto!" shouted Kiba obnoxiously as he took a step toward the blonde. He seemed to be oblivious to the deadly glare that said blonde was giving him.

"So it's really him…" Neji stood back and successfully resisted the urge to hug Naruto. So much for being an emotionless Hyuuga...

Hinata felt a shudder run through her spine. _'He…he's…he's actually here.'_

Shikamaru was busy examining the changes in Naruto since he saw him last. He took in the slightly longer hair, as unruly and bright yellow as ever. He saw the familiar whisker-like marks that hadn't faded with time, which may have actually become bolder. The nondescript ninja outfit that Naruto wore obviously was new or something because it didn't seem to be worn or torn in any places. Naruto had definitely matured throughout the years. He had grown much taller and was now well-muscled.

But it was the eyes that really got him. Blue eyes so cold and full of hate that they seemed to pierce right through him. Eyes that seemed to reflect that aura of pure hatred that now surrounded Naruto. Shikamaru took a step back.

Naruto focused his glare on Kiba as the ignorant Inuzuka bounded towards him. He sent so much killer intent at Kiba that the boy froze in his tracks. If there was one thing that Naruto knew all about, it was killer intent. He had experienced it his whole life and now possessed all of the killing intent of the nine-tailed fox demon. Let's just say that's a lot of killing intent. Of course, he only used a small amount on Kiba.

Kakashi watched as Kiba suddenly halted in his actions and dropped to one knee, breathing heavily as if his lungs were being restricted. The copy-nin's previously overjoyed expression slowly melted into one of disbelief, and then of horror.

Sakura stopped her pointless whimpering and tried to suppress the tears that were still so close to spilling over. _'This is it. We're finally here. Naruto…he's right there! Now we can bring him back to Konoha. Oh we're so close.'_

They all stared at Kiba's crumbled form. The Konoha shinobi were clueless until realization gradually began to seep into their minds. Their expressions distorted into those of horror.

This was Naruto's doing.

"N..Naruto what did you do?" yelped Hinata, failing miserably to mask her emotions. _'Why would he hurt Kiba?'_

Naruto just gave them that same intense glare, as if trying to communicate his undying hatred for them and their village. It had been enough for Konoha to send anyone to find him, but that old hag Hokage had enough nerve to send his old team and ex-friends?

"Stay away from me," was his barely audible reply. His voice sounded strange and hoarse.

"What?" Shikamaru asked. He had not been planning on an angry Naruto. _'Why is he acting like this?'_

"You heard me. Stay. Away. From. Me." In the blonde jinchuriki's voice was a thinly veiled warning. His words were as sharp as senbon needles.

Neji was at Kiba's side in an instant. The Inuzuka seemed to have gotten over what they now knew was exposure to a strong killing intent. _'But for someone as experienced as Kiba to collapse after such a short glimpse of deadly intent…that would take a lot.'_

Kakashi glanced up warily at his former student. _'What's wrong with him?'_

Hinata drew upon some unknown source of confidence and approached Naruto. "Come on Naruto, snap out of it. We're here to bring you back to Konoha!"

At her words Naruto visibly stiffened. He was practically trembling from the effort of controlling his rage. Fury shone in his cerulean blue orbs, a stark contrast to his genin days. A deep voice suddenly echoed in his mind. _**'Calm down Kit! Remember, we have to act our parts in order for the plans to succeed. You can't lose control!'**_

Naruto tried to follow Kyu's warning. It was just so hard. The very people who indirectly betrayed him were standing before him, unknowingly feeding the flames.

"I will NEVER go back to that village again. What reason could I possibly have for going back to that disgusting place?" he snarled.

All six nins were taken aback. Who was this? Where was the Naruto they knew and loved?

"N…N...Naruto. What are you saying? We…we've finally found you after all this time and..and you're saying that you don't …want to come back to Konoha? That's… crazy!" Kiba panted in between ragged breaths.

"Don't even say the name of that traitorous village! I don't want anything to do with it," Naruto hissed, voice laced with venom.

Kakashi spoke up. "Naruto, I don't know what's gotten into you, but it's been long enough. It's time to come home."

But his words only bounced off of Naruto's hard exterior. He refused to believe that such a vile place was his home. Konoha was no home of his.

Sakura, who now had a handle on her emotions, took a single step towards the blonde. A week ago she had been a powerful kunoichi, a force to be reckoned with, but now…now she just felt like a sobbing civilian woman. _'What's happening to me? Why do I feel like this?'_

Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder, restraining the pink-haired woman from moving any further. He didn't want to take the chance of Naruto hurting her. Who knows what the blonde deluded himself into thinking about Konoha?

"I am not coming back to… Konoha… with you. That village betrayed me! YOU betrayed me! I don't ever want to go there again!" Naruto spat. Memories of his heartless banishment snaked themselves into his mind, invading all other thoughts and contaminating them with hate. They were responsible for this! They did this to him!

Naruto knew he might have overestimated his ability to keep himself under control.

Kiba decided to try again, and despite Neji's efforts to calm him, the conversation started to become heated. "Stop this Naruto, it's ridiculous! WE betrayed YOU? The only ones who did any betraying here were that stuck-up council! They acted on their own, not from the Hokage's orders!" Despite his shaken state, he was still able to reason clearly.

Kakashi could sense, could _see_ the fury that Naruto was trying so hard to suppress. He slowly rearranged his features into a more indifferent expression, though his insides were still a churning mess. _'What happened to you Naruto?'_

Meanwhile, Naruto was now shaking uncontrollably. _'How DARE they say that? Such a stupid trick! Do they really think that I'll come back to Konoha, all happy and grateful, just because the Hokage put some kind of spin on the story? I know better than this! Of all the things they could do to try to get me back, they lie…..'_

Naruto felt fury saturate his entire being. They had no right! They crushed his hopes and dreams mercilessly and were now trying to shift the blame. _'Those bastards!'_

'_**Kit, calm down!' **_Kyu tried to reason with the blonde, but it was too late. He was too far gone.

Naruto's pupils narrowed and lengthened, taking on a feral quality. His blue eyes sparked with random flashes of red. His canines elongated and sharpened, almost drawing blood from his lower lip. Kiba, annoyed now, took a careless step towards him. That did it.

Rage surged through Naruto. His pure hatred for Konoha, followed by the hurt of betrayal, urged him to fight the shinobi in front of him. To kill them. The thirst for blood threatened to overwhelm him.

**BAM! **Kiba flew back and slammed into the side of a building. Sand-colored bricks rained down around him and dust rose up into the air. The brunette shinobi hacked and coughed up blood. Akamaru yelped and ran to his master, getting into a defensive position around him.

Heads whirled around to stare at Naruto. He hadn't seemed to move at all. Taking in his increasingly feral appearance, Kakashi knew trouble was brewing. This was not good.

"What are you doing!" Sakura cried. "He's your friend!"

"**WAS** my friend, not is. You all betrayed me the moment I was banished from Konoha," Naruto spat the word out like poison.

"You aren't listening! It wasn't us! Tsunade-sama didn-" but Hinata's next words were cut off by the knee being thrust into her stomach. That was soon followed by a sharp tap on her forehead, and the female Hyuuga passed into unconsciousness.

Neji stared at his cousin. How had Naruto done that? "So fast…" But before he was even able to get into a fighting stance, Naruto appeared right in front of him.

Eyes not blazing crimson, the blonde spoke. "You are no friends of mine," he said in a slightly demonic voice before disappearing from sight. Before the Hyuuga even had time to even react, let alone get into a fighting stance, a fist exploded into his face. The sickening thud of flesh connecting with flesh echoed around the Kazekage's training grounds.

Neji slumped to the floor, unable to move. _'How was I defeated so easily? And he's only using taijutsu! I am an expert in taijutsu. This should not be happening.'_

Sakura gasped at the sight of three of her teammates lying on the ground. "Naruto..why are you doing this?" she asked while quickly sealing her emotions away and getting into a fighting stance. She didn't want to hurt him, but if it came to that…

Before he could answer, Naruto vanished, only to reappear a moment later about ten feet back. A shadow flew out across the ground and reached the spot where he was standing previously, only to retreat after missing. A frustrated Shikamaru stepped back into sight. _'How did he see that coming? Barely anyone is fast enough to evade my shadow!'_

Kakashi resigned himself to what he had to do. Purposefully ignoring the fact that the cold shinobi in front of him had once been his carefree student, a kid with limitless potential and endless kindness, he performed some hand seals.

Naruto's strong frame shook with a vicious tremor, and then faint red flow began to outline his body. Sakura paused, knowing that the Kyuubi was now influencing his thoughts. She naively chose to believe that it was the demon's doing all along and that the Naruto she had once known was just buried somewhere deep inside. What a clueless girl.

Shikamaru made the familiar hand signs for his family's jutsu once again, lashing out at Naruto with his quick shadow. Ironically, he really hadn't moved since he'd first seen Naruto. What a lazy shinobi. _'If I can just get a hold of him then we don't need to injure him!'_

**BOOM! **The sound barrier let out a groan as the unsuspecting Nara was sent flying, slamming through a couple of desert trees as if they were not even there. _**'Idiot human…' **_Kyu thought, reigning in the fiery chakra tail that he had struck Shikamaru with. Although he didn't want things to get out of hand, he truly enjoyed causing bodily harm to others. It just gave him such a… warm, fuzzy feeling.

Naruto sent a quick glance over to Kyu, and then figured out what their next step would be. Kakashi and Sakura were the only ones conscious, so he would have to be 'knocked out' by them. He would purposefully just be a bit too careless and leave an opening in his next strike, which would allow one of them to knock him unconscious. It really was the only way.

'_Kyu, here's what we'll do...' _Naruto quickly communicated his thoughts to the small fox. Somehow, Kyu had managed to remain hidden so well that none of the Konoha shinobi even had the slightest idea that he was there. This was perfect because then Kyu could watch over Naruto's unconscious body to make sure that he remained unharmed.

Suddenly, Naruto's sensed screamed at him to move. Without even thinking about it, the jinchuriki stepped out of the way. A moment later, Kakashi flew out of the ground below where Naruto had previously been standing, blue chakra flaring wildly in his hand.

"**Chidori**!" the jounin exclaimed, and the air was filled with the sound of numerous chirping birds. The electricity in Kakashi's palm, although still very strong, was toned down considerably from his normal version of the move.

'_**He's going easy on you,' **_Kyu stated. Dodging the incoming attack with ease, Naruto flipped backwards and somehow landed a kick on Kakashi's unguarded leg. There was a sickening crack and a grunt of pain on Kakashi's part. Naruto whirled around, only to find Sakura blocking his path. Her emerald green eyes were shimmering with some kind of emotion, but Naruto had no time to try to decipher what they were. The only thing on his mind right now was her chakra-fueled fist that was now coming dangerously close to his body.

Lithely leaping out of the way, Naruto landed on one of the few training dummies that hadn't been cut down. He flipped through about twenty hand seals and then placed one on the pale scar on his arm. "**Kitsune Soul Extension,**" were the words that he muttered quietly. Now Kyu could remain in the fox body even when his jinchuriki was unconscious. Naruto's flesh throbbed for an instant, and the scar, which was actually a bite from the Kyuubi, let out a flash of red chakra before once again becoming dormant.

Kakashi saw Naruto performing an unfamiliar jutsu, but he couldn't reveal his Sharingan in time to study it. Grimancing with pain, the copy-nin made his way over to Sakura. The kunoichi remained in her emotionless-but-not state and charged at her ex-teammate again after a brief word with her sensei. In the small amount of time that Naruto left them, the two had quickly thrown together a plan. _'I hope this works…'_

Kyu watched the battle from his hiding spot behind once of the sparse trees. He hoped that Naruto knew what he was getting himself into.

Time seemed to slow down as Naruto reacted 'too slowly' to the oncoming strike. The pink-haired kunoichi aimed for his stomach once again, except knowing that her strike would be avoided this time. Just as Kakashi and Sakura had planned, Naruto leapt backwards in an attempt to distance himself from his opponents. Kakashi chose this moment to whisper "**Ground Strike: Descend!**" The silver-haired shinobi suddenly sunk into the ground as if it were a lake. He completely disappeared from view in a matter of seconds. The sand then molded back into its original shape as if he had never been there in the first place.

Sakura kept pursuing Naruto, constantly lashing out with her chakra-enhanced fists that kept getting closer and closer to connecting with his flesh. And then, just as Naruto twisted out of the way of one of her strikes, a hand shot out of the ground below him and firmly gripped his ankle. Eyes widening, Naruto couldn't do anything as he was slammed into the ground. He struggled pointlessly, knowing the it would be impossible for the Naruto that the Konoha nins knew to escape this grip that was similar to that of a drowning man. And he couldn't show them his real power just yet. This was hardly even a warmup for him. Oh well, he still had to play along.

Another hand shot out of the ground and held Naruto in place. And then came the more frustrating part for Naruto. He saw the ground ripple and Kakashi's foot appear a moment later, but he couldn't do anything about it. He was forced to watch as the jounin kicked him in the chest from that strike from below, unable to do anything due to his situation.

Shikamaru snapped back into consciousness just as Kakashi's foot collided with Naruto's restrained body. _'Troublesome...' _he thought as the helpless blonde was pummeled by the strike. As the target of their mission flew back from the force, Sakura appeared behind him, roughly striking at his neck.

_'Hah, at least I gave them a few nice injuries to remember me by. Kyu...be careful,' _was the last thing Naruto said before he allowed himself to be knocked out. Too bad the Konoha team was not privy to that...detail. The Uzumaki's form lost it's fox-like characteristics and returned to his normal human appearance.

A panting Kakashi rose out of the ground and it rippled as if it were some kind of strange liquid. The copy-nin then walked over to Sakura, who was gently lowering Naruto's body to the ground. Sadness shone in her eyes as she looked at his unconscious face. The medic nin then absentmindedly brushed a strand of blonde hair out of his eyes before whispering, "Don't worry, Naruto, you'll be safe with us." With a last look at his sleeping form, Sakura turned and made her way to see to the health of her other teammates. Her mind, however, just kept returning to the man she had just knocked out.

Kakashi surveyed the damage that they had done. Too bad he didn't realize it was the Kazekage's private training grounds a bit sooner. And by the way things went the previous day, the Kazekage probably wouldn't be happy about this. '_Come to think of it, why didn't Gaara mention Naruto to us earlier? We're in alliance, so he should have told us that!_'

Kiba and Hinata were still out cold from those powerful strikes from Naruto. Neji was slowly waking up, blinking frantically when he realized where he was. Shikamaru stumbled over to where he was splayed out on the ground. Suddenly, something compelled the Nara genius to look up. He did, and saw a crowd of about twenty people staring at them wide-eyed. They had just fought another shinobi within Suna, and attacked him six to one. This definitely didn't look good. And on top of that they had just caused immense damage to the Kazekage's private training area. Crap.

Shikamaru was about to alert his teammates to their audience when the crowd's hushed whispering suddenly ceased. Neji looked back at them. A single figure was making it's way to the front. People dutifully parted to let him through, sending glares in the direction of the Konoha shinobi. Shikamaru cursed under his breath at the flash of red hair. This was bad.

Gaara, the Kazekage, had just appeared out of the mass of people. Eyes flickering first to the damage to his property and then honing in on Naruto's unconscious form, he began to walk towards them. The sand around his feet quivered as he passed. Gaara was livid.

* * *

Kakashi felt his throat close up when he looked up and saw a very pissed off Gaara approaching them. He could practically sense the fury that was sweeping off of the Kazekage in waves.

The redhead stopped his approach when he was within a short distance from all of the Konoha shinobi. Kakashi saw movement below him and turned his head to look at it, only to see sand steadily covering Naruto. The blonde's form then sunk into the sand and appeared next to Gaara. The Kazekage then released his control on the sand, leaving Naruto laying on the ground beside him. Temari conveniently appeared out of the crowd, pushing through the villagers until she laid eyes on her brother and Naruto. Without a word, she ran over and knelt at her friend's side, making sure that he was okay and not physically injured in any way.

"You have some explaining to do." Gaara's ice-cold voice cut through the uncomfortable silence. He directed his words at Kakashi, since the copy-nin was supposedly the team leader.

Kakashi bowed his head. "We apologize, Kazekage-same, but you have to understand. We were coming to your office and ran into Naruto Uzumaki, the very person we were sent here to retrieve. Words didn't seem to be enough to persuade him, and Naruto lashed out at us, and we retaliated in turn. As you can see, we only knocked him out and did no actual harm."

Wishing that he could just kill the man instead of being the Kazekage, Gaara ran a hand through his hair. _'Should I let them take him or not? What should I do...'_

It was Sakura who spoke up next. From their previous meeting, Gaara could tell that she really did miss her teammate. Her intentions seemed to be pure and he trusted her a bit more than the rest of her teammates. "Please, Gaara-sama, allow us to take him back to Konoha! We need to protect him from Akatsuki and there is no need for your village to be made a target unnecessarily."

Weighing her words, Gaara began to formulate his decision.

"We don't want to hurt him! We just want to repair the damage that our village has done and keep him safe from Akatsuki! Do you want him to die? No! We NEED to bring him back with us. Tsunade-sama will provide the very best security and also pay for the...er- damage we caused." Kiba, who had just regained consciousness, was the one who spoke. The crowd listened to his every word.

It was a few minutes before the Kazekage said anything. Suddenly, his head snapped up and he looked Kakashi in the eye. "Kakashi, I am trusting you and your village to keep Naruto safe. If anything happens to him, your village will be held responsible. You may bring back Naruto Uzumaki on one condition," Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Temari will accompany you on your trip. I myself cannot leave the village but I trust her enough to take care of herself and travel with you to make sure that you keep your word."

Temari abruptly looked up, and then nodded. It was for the best. Besides, she hadn't been out of the area surrounding Suna in ages.

Every conscious Leaf shinobi bowed their head and thanked him. _'I hope I've made the right decision,' _Gaara thought, casting a glance at the blonde laying by his side.

* * *

While everyone's attention was directed at the Leaf nins, a man materialized on the side of a desert tree. His glowing yellow eyes and unusual black and white complexion marked him as Zetsu. His Akatsuki cloak billowed in the wind, red clouds contrasting to the sandy ground. Somehow, he still managed to remain unseen. Zetsu took in the sight before him and saw the shinobi from Konoha carry Naruto away. A few moments later, he began to melt back into the tree, moving with ease through seemingly solid material.

Zetsu's last thoughts before he left were, _'I will inf__**orm everyone tha**__t Leader-s__**ama is now in the n**__ext stage__** of his**__ plan. It's __**been so much m**__ore interesti__**ng with him as leader.**__..well t__**his is going to **__be fun. __**We're **__gonna make t__**he Konoh**__a nin's retur__**n home a bit harde**__r than __**they **__expected. Le__**ader-sama**__ always gives us the __**more enjoyable orders.'**_

* * *

Two hours later, Kakashi, Sakura, Hinata, Neji, Shikamaru, Akamaru, and Kiba were standing at the gates of Suna. Their stay was up and they really didn't want to push their luck. The six shinobi, being newly healed, were ready to start the journey back to Konoha. They each planned to take turns carrying Naruto, fully intending to keep him unconscious for the entire trip. At first, it hadn't sounded like the most practical approach but it ended up being the safest option. Sakura had injected Naruto with a special sedative that she assured them would keep him out for the entire trip.

Right now Naruto was slung over Kakashi's shoulder as if he weighed nothing. Truthfully, it had taken the better part of an hour for someone to figure out how to remove weight on the special chakra seals that he wore. With one seal on each limb, he weighed much more than any of the six could carry for any amount of time. Neutralizing the seals had been the only option.

As they were preparing to leave, Kakashi thought about the man who was once his student. He sighed, recalling the loud, hyperactive, unpredictable blonde genin that Naruto used to be. The silver-haired jounin was saddened that Naruto's hate for Konoha had been so strong. _'Don't worry Naruto- we'll set this straight. You'll be safe in Konoha.'_

After waving goodbye to the Kazekage, the six shinobi prepared to leave. There was a sudden gust of wind, and Temari appeared next to Shikamaru. They all glanced at her and then turned towards the gates once again. Sighs could be heard as they stepped out of Suna and back into the barren desert.

They had found Naruto, and now they had to bring him back to his home. Their mission was almost complete.

* * *

Gaara watched the Leaf shinobi until they were just small specks on the horizon. He still didn't trust them, but he trusted Naruto and his sister. Somehow, this would turn out for the best.

Unknown to all of the shinobi, a certain small red fox was trailing after the group. With a flawlessly masked chakra signature, Kyu was pretty much invisible to the world. He was intent on his mission to protect his jinchuriki, and he made himself a promise. If any harm came to Naruto, there would be hell to pay.

And so the Leaf nins and Temari began their journey back to the Hidden Leaf Village. Was fate dictating the end of their journey, or was it something else? Many more factors will soon come into play. Mysteries will want to be solved. And what will happen to our favorite deceitful blonde when he nears the very cause of his pain?


	9. Just Messing With You

**Well here's Chapter 9! Sorry it's taken me so long to update! I had to rewrite this chapter a lot because it just wasn't sounding right. It's not as good as my normal updates but it's a part of the story that I just need to have in here, so please stick with me! Also, I really don't like having to juggle so many characters at once, but that's how it's going to have to be since Naruto is still unconscious at the moment. Don't worry, I promise it will get better! Thank you.**

'_Thinking'_

"Talking"

'_**Demon Talking' **_= can only be heard inside Naruto's head

"**Demon Talking" **= can be heard by everyone

**LOUD SOUND / Jutsu**

**

* * *

  
**

Eight blurs flashed through the air, only touching the ground for a brief moment before launching back up with chakra-fueled steps. The sound of heavy breathing could be heard if one listened closely enough. The last of the desert sand was beginning to fade beneath their feet, quickly transitioning into mossy grass. The buffeting winds gradually mellowed out into a more mild, forest breeze. The amount of sunlight was slowly dwindling as the afternoon passed into evening. Dusk was approaching.

"Neji," Kakashi began, "I think it's time for us to make camp for the night. Can you spot any suitable areas?"

Neji wordlessly activated his Byakugan. He had long ago mastered his family's bloodline, branch family member or not. The veins around his eyes bulged, creating a fairly intimidating profile. His pale lavender eyes gained the slight shadow of a pupil. Neji scanned the surrounding forest as the entire group came to a halt.

Kakashi was flanked by Neji and Sakura. Behind him were Hinata, Shikamaru, Akamaru, and Temari, all positioned strategically around Kiba, who was currently carrying Naruto. They were all staring into the surrounding forest with varying degrees of interest.

"There, forty meters northeast. There's a sheltered clearing that appears to be big enough for all of us," Neji stated.

The Leaf shinobi (and Temari) all turned towards that location and disappeared in an instant. To the untrained eye, they might not have even been there at all. A single leaf quivered where it had been brushed by Akamaru.

* * *

A little while later, they had finished setting up camp and were getting ready to eat dinner. Everyone was sitting around a medium-sized campfire, watching the flames snap and hiss as they cooked their meal. Luckily, they had been able to catch some rabbits and a few larger animals- this area seemed to be relatively untouched by trappers and humans in general. Night had since fallen, creating a dark void of nothingness in the sky. It was especially eerie since no stars could be seen, which was unusual in these parts. The moon darted in and out of view timidly.

Sakura stood up from their circle and separated herself from the rest of the group. Kakashi caught her eye and raised an eyebrow.

Sakura just shrugged and said, "I just thought I'd make sure that Naruto doesn't have any other injuries that we haven't seen. Tsunade-sama would like him to be completely healthy."

Kakashi nodded. Shikamaru, who was watching their exchange, decided to comment. "That sounds reasonable, Sakura, but just make sure that Naruto doesn't wake up. We don't need him throwing a fit and going all crazy on us."

"Don't worry, that won't happen. He'll definitely be out for a few more days before the effects of the sedative I gave him wear off. I administered the strongest dose I could without causing any damage."

The pink-haired kunoichi then turned away, but not before the Nara genius caught the troubled look in her eyes. He couldn't stop his own face from mirroring that expression either. _'Naruto…what happened to you?'_

Sakura stopped and looked down at the blonde shinobi with worried eyes. Naruto had always been so perpetually happy in their genin days. He was always that ball of sunshine that all of his friends loved to be around. She knew many things about him back then. They had been pretty close after all. He was always unpredictable, loved ramen more than anything, was often hilariously clueless when it came to love, and dreamed of becoming Hokage one day. But…what bothered Sakura now was that she was no longer close with Naruto. She couldn't even list a few things about him if she tried! _'Things have changed, things have really changed.'_

The pink-haired medic-nin knelt before her ex-teammate and placed a hand on his wrist. The steady rhythm of his pulse comforted her- it's was just so unnatural to see Naruto laying there, completely still. Sakura just couldn't get the happy-go-lucky kid out of her mind. _'Where did you go, Naruto? What happened to you?'_

Hesitantly, Sakura draws one finger along the back of his hand. She then grasps his hand in hers, and an odd feeling starts to form in her stomach. With the other hand she brushes Naruto's hair out of his eyes. Sighing, Sakura then began the medical exam. Placing both palms over his forehead, she began to concentrate. A blue/green glow began to appear around her hands as she gathered medical chakra.

Sakura then moved her hands slowly across his face and down his neck. So far, there were no underlying injuries that had been overlooked. She wiped a bead of nervous sweat off of her face and continued with the exam. When the kunoichi got to his left arm, however, she frowned.

"Kakashi, Hinata, take a look at this." The two Leaf shinobi looked up and walked over to her. Temari followed them.

Kakashi stared at the strange mark that was on Naruto's left arm. "It looks almost like a… bite mark. What do you think?"

Hinata's eyes narrowed as she delved into thought. "But wouldn't Naruto have healed from something like that? I remember how the K-Kyuubi always used to heal him whenever he was injured o-or harmed in any way. However, this scar doesn't s-show any signs of healing."

Temari nodded in agreement. "It's as if it was permanently etched into his skin."

Sakura breathed out in frustration. "I can't heal it either! What could have made a mark like this? It's what- four inches long? And look- you can see the individual teeth and fang marks."

Kakashi didn't know what to say. He agreed with everything that was said, but still couldn't find a reasonable answer. Reluctantly, the copy-nin called Shikamaru over.

After examining it for a minute, the lazy shinobi said, "I dunno why it isn't healing or anything, but it is definitely a bite mark. Look-" he turned Naruto's arm over, "there's another one on this side, where the bottom of the jaws must have connected."

All five shinobi were clearly puzzled. What bothered them the most was just how little they all knew about the shinobi in front of them. Over the past years, Naruto had become more and more of an unknown. They had no idea what he did or went through in the past five years, and had virtually no way to figure it out unless he told them himself.

Kakashi's one visible eye looked to the ground as he tried to block out the memories of how he'd failed Naruto as a sensei. He had treated Sasuke much better, and the Uchiha had been the one to run away. Kakashi had made a serious mistake that he could just not forgive himself for. _'Naruto…please let us set things straight. Now that we're finally bringing you back, maybe we'll have a chance to become close again.…'_

Shikamaru actually hadn't been very close with Naruto before he was 'banished.' Sure, they were friends, but not best friends. Then again, Naruto probably considered everyone to be his best friend. _'Not anymore,' _was what Shikamaru thought sadly. He was just starting to get closer with the blonde before he left. Now Naruto was a whole different person. _'Yet another mystery to be solved.'_

Hinata was struggling to resist the urge to reach out and touch Naruto. He looked so handsome in his sleep. Peaceful, almost. It saddened her to think of how he reacted so violently to their presence earlier. _'Please accept us, Naruto,' _Hinata thought, _'please let us be your friends again! I never wanted our friendship to end! I…I liked you Naruto, a lot. And now everything's confusing that I…I just don't know what to do. Your banishment wasn't out fault so please don't be mad at us!'_

Hinata flinched internally when she saw Temari reach out and hold Naruto's other hand while Sakura finished the medical scan.

The blue and green chakra faded from Sakura's palm. "Everything else looks like it's normal. Surprisingly, there are no bruises or other injuries from our little skirmish with him." That caused Kakashi to reach down to rub his leg that Sakura had just mended back together, and Hinata to place a hand on the bruise that was beginning to form under her shirt from that strong blow to her stomach. _'I really hoped to at least have bruised him...' _Kakashi thought.

A moment later, Akamaru barked, signaling that the meat had finished cooking. All seven conscious shinobi and Akamaru grouped themselves around the fire. This was going to be a long night- it was a good thing that they had found a suitable meal.

* * *

An owl hooted somewhere out in the distance. The sky was now completely black, only being lit occasionally by the fleeting glimpses of the crescent moon. Almost everyone was fast asleep inside of their tents or in their sleeping bags. Everyone except for Neji. The Hyuuga was sitting in a tree, keeping watch. No one was going to get past him.

The unconscious Naruto had been moved into one of the smaller tents with Kakashi so that he could be monitored and protected from any potential threats. Although they all hoped that there wouldn't be any attacks tonight. The small red fox perched in a tree a little distance away would have smirked evilly if he had heard what they were thinking.

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes a short distance away. Neji immediately activated his Byakugan and looked around. To his dismay, there was nothing out of the ordinary. A large squirrel scampered off. Neji sighed and relaxed back into the branch that he was sitting on. Suddenly, he felt a faint blur of chakra and jumped to his senses, once again activating his Byakugan. A moment later, only one sound could be heard.

**BOOM!**

A huge explosion rocked the very roots of the forest. Plants disintegrated and trees shattered from the force of the blast. A huge shockwave traveled throughout the forest faster than the eye could see, leaving only death and destruction in it's wake. Neji was thrown violently from his position and flew a good distance back. Shrapnel battered and bruised his body as shards of wood raced passed him like deadly splinters. When the Hyuuga finally landed, he had no control over his body. After skidding through the littered grass and into a large rock, he slumped to the ground and began to uncontrollably cough up blood. Dark laughter was the last thing Neji heard before he succumbed to unconsciousness.

**

* * *

**The loud explosion jolted Kakashi awake, his eyes flashing open at the ground-shaking boom. Sensing the urgency of the situation, the copy-nin leaped out of his tent in the blink of an eye. However, he didn't make it far before the destructive shockwave washed over the camp. The grass around them flattened as an incredibly powerful wind swept through the clearing. The very Earth itself seemed to be torn apart. But this was no earthquake.

Sakura and Hinata, who had been sharing a tent, were on their feet in an instant. After being rudely waken up by the blast, they had all of the power of pissed off kunoichi in the morning at their disposal. Wide emerald eyes met equally as dazed lavender eyes as they dropped to their knees from the sheer force of the explosion. It didn't take long for the shockwave to pass them by, and when it did, everyone was on high alert.

Kakashi had to pull Temari out from under a fallen tree, much to the Sand kunoichi's embarrassment. Kiba and Akamaru were already running a perimeter around camp to try to locate the attackers. Shikamaru, despite the loud blast that occurred only a moment ago, still appeared to be half asleep. Lazy ass genius....

The copy-nin was about to run out to find the intruders when he heard an intake of breath from Hinata. Everyone stopped what they were doing to glance at the female Hyuuga.

"W-wait where's Neji? He was keeping watch!"

"Oh my god you're right!" cried Sakura. She reflexively tightened her gloves. "Come on guys, we've got to find Neji and punish whoever it was that set off that explosion!"

Everyone nodded and ran in separate ways. Shikamaru went to check on Naruto, who would be helpless and unprotected since he was still unconscious. That could have just been an obnoxious distraction! Meanwhile, Kakashi, Sakura and Hinata ran to the source of the blast, with Temari following closely behind. Kiba and Akamaru stayed back with Shikamaru to guard the camp. No one knew what they would be up against so they had to be prepared for anything.

* * *

Sakura's eyes widened as she suddenly stepped out of the forest and into a startlingly barren field. They weren't even out of the forest yet, but the explosion had caused many trees to topple over so now there was an enormous clearing occupying the area that used to be densely forested. This was bad. What kind of a person would have done something that was so catastrophic to the environment? Sakura felt Temari and Hinata appear next to her, their arrivals made known by only a small breeze. The pink-haired kunoichi glanced around for her sensei as well, only to find him standing in front of her when she turned back around. Frowning, Sakura stared at Kakashi for a minute before shrugging and looking around again.

"Look at that!" Temari gasped with a mixture of wonder and horror. A large blackened crater in the middle of the new clearing immediately attracted their attention. Smoke was still coming off of the edges in small tendrils, leaving an acidic smell in the air. And then they say him.

A man was standing in the middle of the crater. He wore an unmistakable cloak, one that was black adorned with bloodred clouds. A cloak that hadn't actually been seen in a few years. Straight blonde hair flew around his face, giving the man a slightly feminine look. One of the Akatsuki member's eyes was a pale blue, the other hidden beneath his bangs. And even though he was a good distance away from them, the shinobi could see the evil grin that slowly made its way across his face.

Sakura and Hinata stiffened in horror. They knew that distinctive Akatsuki cloak anywhere. Kakashi breathed in and out, mentally preparing himself for battle. Temari whipped out her giant fan and got into a fighting stance.

They knew this man anywhere. "Deidara," Kakashi's voice was laced with venom.

"That's me, yeah. Did you like my art?" and with that, Deidara vanished from sight. He reappeared a moment later right in front of Kakashi.

The copy-nin gritted his teeth and sent a punch in the Akatsuki member's direction. Hinata shouted "Byakugan!" and ran at Deidara, using only her hands as a weapon. Temari and Sakura followed, one using an enormous fan and the other using fists reinforced with chakra.

The blonde dodged all of the attacks and reached into one of his pockets. Sakura's eyes narrowed into a glare, which Deidara caught.

"Oh don't worry," he said sarcastically, widening his eyes in mock innocence and holding up his hands as if surrendering, "I'm not going to cause any trouble."

But everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the two hands, one on each of his palms. The Akatsuki member grinned dangerously as clay appeared in his hands. He pressed them into birds and then threw them at the shinobi. "Just kidding," he said, and then quickly added, "I really hope you guys can take a joke, yeah."

The clay birds flew towards Kakashi, Sakura, Hinata, and Temari, honing in on their chakra signatures. A chuckle from Deidara let them know that something was going to happen. Kakashi looked up just in time to see Deidara forming a hand sign.

"Watch out!" the copy-nin shouted as tons of mini explosions lit up the still-dark sky. Hinata shrieked as one of the creatures latched on to her left leg and abruptly exploded. Her cry, however, was drowned out amidst the booms of many clay pieces blowing up. Smoke filled the air around the nin, causing them to cough and choke as they tried to breathe.

When the smoke cleared, Sakura was horrified at what she saw. Off to her left, Hinata was laying in a pool of her own blood. More of the red liquid seeped from a deep wound on her leg. The bone was no doubt broken as well. Kakashi was shaking slightly, clutching at his head. Blood ran down from his forehead and into his eyes, slightly distorting his vision. How had this happened so easily to her seemingly invincible sensei? And then, after glancing around, Sakura spotted Temari. The Sand kunoichi was kneeling on the ground and holding her arm. Temari's teeth were clenched and her eyes shut with pain. Soot blackened the half of her body that she had not been able to shield with her fan.

Sakura didn't know what to do. Who should she heal first? Well, Hinata appeared to be unconscious. And since Kakashi looked to be the least injured, the pink-haired kunoichi ran towards him. Her path, however, was blocked by a certain annoying Akatsuki member. He grinned and sent more clay birds flying after her. Sakura dodged all of them, only to find that they circled back around. Gritting her teeth and reflexively tightening her gloves, Sakura made a run for Deidara. The blonde shinobi flashed out of the way, steadily avoiding her punches. Frustrated, Sakura formed the hand seals for a jutsu that she hadn't used in a long time. A simple jutsu that she always avoided using because of the memories attached to it. It was...

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Sakura cried. Two clones of herself suddenly appeared in a puff of smoke. They both narrowed their eyes and clenched their fists, mimicking the original's movements.

"Go!" she yelled to her clones. One clones ran to Deidara and the other started to throw shuriken at the circling clay birds. The real Sakura sprinted to Kakashi and started to heal his head injury as fast as she could. Kakashi's head was healed in about a minute.

"Thanks Sakura," he said, then stood up and rubbed the blood off of his face. "I think it's time to put this guy back in his place. I really should have killed you all those years ago, Deidara."

"We'll see about that, yeah," the Akatsuki member replied. _'Too bad I can only injure the Leaf shinobi. It would have been nice if Leader-sama allowed me to kill at least one....'_

Kakashi and Deidara both vanished in blurs of speed. A cry of "**Chidori!**" could be heard as Kakashi powered up his original move. Deidara immediately leapt backwards to put some distance between them. He was a long-range fighter after all. The copy-nin lunged at Deidara, quickly closing the distance between them. Unable to do much of anything else, the missing-nin formed a barrier out of clay which mostly absorbed the Chidori. Oh, and as another added bonus, it exploded in Kakashi's face. Deidara was blown backwards but remained unharmed. The same couldn't be said for Kakashi, who was panting as he wiped blood off of his arm and chest.

Sakura wasted no time in healing her friends. She worked on Hinata's injuries with one of her clones because hers appeared to be more serious. The other pink-haired clone ran to Temari and began to heal her arm. The uniquely colored medical chakra instantly began to mend their flesh together. After a few minutes, however, Hinata still hadn't woken up. Sakura couldn't completely heal her leg without risking the chance that it might be positioned incorrectly since the break was so serious. Temari seemed to be doing alright and was actually very resistant to pain. Sakura chose to only stop the bleeding instead of completely healing the Sand kunoichi's wound in case her chakra was needed later in the fight.

Kakashi was still exchanging blows with the ever elusive Deidara. Almost every punch he threw was blocked, must to Kakashi's frustration. Explosions echoed in the air every couple of seconds as the Deidara did what he did best. The missing-nin's extra mouths made fighting him much more difficult because of the ability that they gave him. But Kakashi was not going to give up. _'This is for Naruto!'_ he thought as he landed a powerful hit on Deidara.

Said man gripped his newly broken arm and glared daggers at the copy-nin. _'You will pay for this, Kakashi Hatake, you. will. pay. And I'll also make you pay for what your pitiful village did to Leader-sama. Now might not exactly be the best time for my revenge though. I'll have to wait until Leader-sama gives us permission to kill so it's a fair fight. So sad, I was just starting to enjoy this. Zetsu will be happy to know that his turn will be next.'_

Deidara abruptly stopped fighting. Kakashi stiffened, awaiting another strike. When none came, he gave the blonde in front of him a confused look.

"Sorry Kakashi, there's been a change of plans. But next time I see you, I'll kick your ass, yeah." Deidara then grinned at Kakashi, puzzling him further, and then turned around.

Kakashi took this opening and flew at him, fist raised for a punch. Kakashi grabbed Deidara's shoulder and delivered a strong blow to his chest. "Never turn your back on your opponent, Deidara." However, the Leaf-nin's victorious grin vanished as quickly as it appeared. The missing-nin before him melted into clay.

"Like I said, Kakashi- save it for next time," Deidara said from a hidden position, his voice echoing throughout the clearing.

Kakashi's shoulders slumped in defeat and Sakura looked around, worried. Temari glared defiantly, hand itching to just grab her fan and pummel the surrounding area. Hinata was still unconscious. A piece of white cloth flapping in the wind suddenly grabbed Sakura's attention. Hesitantly, the pink-haired medic nin made her way towards it, preparing herself for any kind of surprise attack. She pushed a fallen tree out of the way, expecting to find some kind of an enemy concealed beneath it. What Sakura saw, however, made her shriek in surprise.

"Neji!!!"

Kakashi was at her side in an instant. His eyes widened as he saw Neji's body lying before them. The pale shinobi's eyes were closed and he was eerily still. Neji's arms, which had obviously been used to block his face from the blast, were badly burned. Nasty looking splinters stuck out of them in all directions. Blood covered most of his body, turning a portion of his previoulsy white outfit a bloody red. The crimson liquid seeped out of multiple wounds that looked to be very deep. The overall sight was very gory. Sakura was now thankful that Hinata was unconscious and unable to see her cousin in such a condition.

Hand shaking, Sakura reached out to check his pulse. She sighed with relief when she felt the familiar rhythm, even though it was far fainter than she would have preferred. Kakashi released a breath that he didn't know he had been holding. Neji's chest barely moved as he took shakey breaths.

It took ten minutes and a lot of chakra to stabilize Neji enough to bring him back to camp. Sakura was now fairly tired but knew that she wouldn't be able to rest for a while after such an encounter. Kakashi carefully knelt down and lifted Neji up into his arms. Temari took the hint and gingerly picked up Hinata. Sakura turned and followed them as they began to make their way back to camp. Although they were still unsure of why the missing-nin ran away in the first place, everyone did their best to keep their minds on the task ahead of them.

* * *

Shikamaru was sitting alongside Naruto. The blonde hadn't really been affected at all by the explosion. He was still laying on his back with his eyes closed due to his medically-induced sleep. Shikamaru watched the man's chest rise and fall rhythmatically as he guarded him. Naruto actually looked peaceful in his sleep. The jinchuuriki's face was relaxed and his mouth almost had the hint of a smile.

_'What happened to him these past five years? We haven't gotten any reports or anything until recently when we found him in Suna,' _Shikamaru pondered, _'And Naruto doesn't appear to have any traveling companions, which is really weird since he was always the kind of person who naturally drew other people towards him. Ahh this is so frustrating! We barely know a thing about him. Naruto Uzumaki- I will solve your mystery!'_

Too bad the Nara didn't know just how troublesome that might prove to be.

A slight tremor rocked through Naruto in his sleep, abruptly catching Shikamaru's attention.

Sitting completely still in a tree on the edge of the camp was a certain fox. Kyu was vigilantly watching over his defenseless junchuuriki. No matter their intentions, he knew from experience never to blindly trust anyone from the Leaf. Sure, that Nara genius was supposedly watching over Naruto now, but he remained at his vantage point regardless. It had actually been fairly amusing to see how the shinobi reacted to Deidara's intimidating blast. Though the shockwave had just barely ruffled his fur, and yet it was funny how it managed to knock the Leaf ninja to the ground and catch them completely off-guard. _'**The size of that explosion was actually pretty impressive**,' _Kyu thought, mentally praising Deidara. That man sure had a way with explosives.

The sound of heavy footsteps caught the bijuu's attention. Kyu crouched low, wrapping his three tails around some small branches and pulling the foliage down to further conceal his bright red fur. He was immediately bathed in shadow- the perfect hiding spot. His crimson eyes flicked over towards the sound. Kakashi, that jounin from the leaf, was pushing his way through the forest with uneven steps. Blood stained his clothes and the copy-nin looked like he had been through a bit of a beating. The tailed beast was beginning to like Deidara more and more, even if he could be annoying sometimes. Kyu also took note of the dark-haired Hyuuga that Kakashi was carrying over his shoulder, who looked considerable worse than when he had started guard duty. Neji really only looked half alive.

Next came Sakura, who looked relatively unharmed, followed by Temari. Kyu's eyes narrowed when he saw that she was clutching her upper arm. Some blood was running through the cracks in her fingers and dripping onto the forest ground. Temari and her brothers had made his kit happy, and so there was no need for the girl to get hurt. She gave kunoichi's a good name, and so he made a mental note to heal her in her sleep if that pink-haired medic nin didn't do it first. Temari was also carrying someone, Hinata by the looks of it. She didn't look like she was doing so well either. Deidara sure had a lot of fun.

A moment after the five entered into camp, Kiba and his large white dog bounded into the clearing as well. Kyu wrinkled his nose in disgust as he thought _'What an overgrown mutt,' _and stared at the obnoxiously large Akamaru. Sure, Kyu may be chibi-fied, but at least he knew how to take care of himself. It was a good thing he had put up a shield before suppressing his chakra so that Akamaru couldn't even smell him. Kiba wiped a hand over one of the fang-shaped red marks on his face, brushing away some dirt. The shinobi all began to converse and Kyu was at the perfect position to overhear every word.

"Guys! What happened?" Kiba asked, his voice rising in alarm. He ran over to Hinata and pulled her down from Temari's shoulders. Akamaru ran to one of the tents and came trotting back with a medical kit between his massive jaws. Kakashi gently lifted Neji off of his shoulders and laid him next to his cousin.

"Thanks boy," the Inuzuka said, patting Akamaru's head.

Kakashi knelt down next to the two Hyuugas and began to explain what happened. Kiba's eyes narrowed at the mention of Akatsuki. _'So they've finally decided to show themselves...'_

"But isn't it weird," Sakura interjected, voicing his thoughts, "that this is the first time we've seen them in years? They've been awfully quiet for a long time."

Temari nodded in agreement. She might not exactly like shinobi of the Leaf but she wasn't going to be an idiot about it and get them all killed. "We haven't heard of them either in Suna for a while. Do you think it's because they couldn't find Naruto before and are going after him now that _we've_ found him?"

Behind his mask, Kakashi pursed his lips in thought. "That could be it. But how is it that we could find him and a powerful criminal organization couldn't? It just doesn't make sense."

Pausing in his process of bandaging Hinata's leg, Kiba added, "Regardless of that, you know what we have to do."

Sakura nodded. "It is definitely in Konoha's best interest to get Naruto back there as quickly as possible." Akamaru barked in agreement.

Kakashi decided to bring up one more point. "And I still don't understand why Deidara just ran away like that. One moment he's causing trouble and attacking us, and the next he's running off and insisting we'll battle again some other time. What was that all about?"

"Maybe," Shikamaru said as he emerged from Naruto's tent, "they were just trying to scare us. Akatsuki is probably trying to get the other hand by intimidating us and causing us to make stupid decisions." It was clear that the Nara had heard the whole conversation.

Kiba nodded slowly. It made sense, after all. Shikamaru was really good at figuring these types of things out. "Well, we should probably get ready to move and not give Akatsuki the chance to attack again too soon. Let's try to put some distance between them and us, agreed?"

A chorus of "Agreed" followed this. And even though they had only got half as much sleep as usual, the Konoha shinobi and Temari began the painstaking process of packing up camp. The sun would rise in an hour and they needed all the extra time they could get. Naruto's safety was just too important to put off. Kakashi couldn't stand losing another comrade due to his past, Sakura couldn't bear the thought of parting with her lost teammate again, and Temari wanted to make sure that her friend got to Konoha while remaining unharmed. Both Neji and Hinata needed a proper hospital and medical attention as well. Kakashi tried to keep his mind off of how Tsunade was going to yell at him for getting both Hyuugas injured after someone from that clan no doubt worked up the nerve to complain. Still, everyone was eager to get to Konoha as quickly as possible. And so began the start of a very long day.

* * *

Kyu watched the shinobi pack up their stuff with the barest hint of interest. Finally, they'd be moving soon. He figured it would be a couple hours before Naruto woke up anyways. The fox really wanted to see the look on the Leaf shinobi's faces when Naruto awoke roughly a day after Sakura administered the sedative, instead of the expected three or even four days. That would be fun. Though, sadly, Naruto probably wouldn't be able to injure them any further since he did have to actually get to Konoha at some point. The sooner they got there, the sooner he would be able to leave. _'**Ahhh they power of deception**,' _Kyu sighed. There were some times when Kyu really was glad to have such a clever jinchuuriki. Being one of the few bijuu who actually got along with their hosts made life so much more... interesting. With that thought, the brilliant red fox leapt fluidly onto a different branch to get a better view of all of the activity going on below him. Nothing could get past the Kyuubi's sharp eyes.

* * *

**FINALLY I am done with this chapter. It took me so long to write because it just never turned out quite the way I wanted it to. The following updates should be much faster than this one. Oh and I know this chapter wasn't the best but there's no need to complain. It's much easier to write with a single main character than having to follow like eight. (Also, I really have to work on learning to write fight scenes...). Thank you to everyone reading and reviewing this! Reviews help me judge my progress and I can't continue confidently if you don't review! Thanks again :)**


	10. Back To Hell

**Here's that update you guys have been waiting for! Sorry for taking so long!**

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* * *

  
**

'_Thinking'_

"Talking"

'_**Demon Talking' **_=can only be heard inside Naruto's mind

"**Demon Talking"** =can be heard by everyone

**LOUD SOUND / Jutsu**

**

* * *

  
**

Sunlight flooded into the forest as the sun rose higher and higher into the sky. The trees swayed gently as they basked in the warm light. Small animals chattered and scampered around the foliage as noon quickly approached. It was as if the entire forest had forgotten about the disruption that happened mere hours ago.

The traveling shinobi were getting close to Konoha now. The Wind/Fire border was now long behind them, as they had been traveling through most of the night. Currently, the mostly Leaf nin group was delving deeper into Fire Country. They were moving much slower than before since there had been multiple injuries last night. Kiba had Hinata in a firm grip in his arms, and Kakashi balanced Neji gently over his shoulder. Both were careful not to aggravate their teammates' wounds from last night.

Neji was still in pretty bad shape from the explosion and needed proper medical attention- and fast. Sakura had done her best but he was in need of additional treatment, not to mention some serious recuperation time. Hinata was fairing slightly better than her cousin, though her leg was still seriously injured. Both Hyuugas would definitely be out of commission for a while.

Kakashi, Kiba, Akamaru, Sakura, and Temari were arranged in a loose circle around Shikamaru, similar to yesterday's formation. Naruto was still unconscious, as expected, and it was currently the Nara's turn to carry him.

Everyone was alert and ready, despite having gotten very little sleep. There were barely noticeable dark circles under many eyes. Needless to say, all of the shinobi were relieved since they knew their journey would soon be over.

Kakashi gripped the branch of a tree, propelling himself forward with ease. One arm was around Neji's unconscious form, holding him securely against his shoulder. Kakashi panted with exertion, and along with everyone else, battled exhaustion. Temari drew a hand over her forehead, wiping away beads of sweat. Shikamaru shifted Naruto's body into a more comfortable position, careful to keep his balance as he leapt from tree to tree. Kiba ran a hand through his wild dark brown hair. A quick glance to his left confirmed that Akamaru was loyally keeping by his side.

Suddenly, the nin dog let out a growl. The sound was deep and guttural. Kiba whirled around, eyes wide. His red, fang-like tattoos stood out against his medium skin tone. Everyone's attention was immediately locked onto Akamaru. Kiba looked at his partner in confusion, whispering in concern, "What's wrong, boy?"

The large dog bristled, the fur on the back of his neck standing straight up. With a quick glance towards Kiba, he crouched down low. Seeing as he was about to jump, Kiba yelled, "Wait!"

Akamaru disregarded his master's command and leapt up into the air, becoming a white blur. At the same time, a black flash flew out of a nearby tree, headed directly for the blonde shinobi on Shikamaru's shoulder. Before anyone else could react, Akamaru slammed into the black shape, cutting it off from its original course with a dull thunk. A strangled cry of pain was heard as the two collided. Everyone abruptly got into defensive stances, wondering what just happened. Kiba got ready to run towards Akamaru, but then he stopped. The dust cleared. Akamaru was standing on a tree branch, a man clasped between his enormous jaws. The dog's sixth sense had just alerted them to an attack.

"What just happened?" Sakura asked, not relaxing her fighting stance at all.

Kiba stared at Akamaru in confusion, trying to figure his companion out. "I'm…not sure."

The white dog then opened his jaws, allowing the lifeless body of an enemy shinobi to tumble to the ground. Temari stared at the dead man with wide eyes, her gaze moving over the bloody bite marks on his neck. Akamaru's training had definitely paid off for him to be able to kill a man so quickly and effectively.

Two more ninja instantaneously launched from their concealed spots in the tree branches and flew at the group. Kakashi shrugged Neji off of his shoulder and gently placed him on the ground. He immediately intercepted one of the enemy shinobi, and to his right Sakura did the same.

The jounin, moving in sync, whirled around to face their opponents. The Copy-Nin balled one hand into a fist and struck the man across his face. He then leapt into the air, bringing his right leg around and slamming it into the nin's side. A nasty cracking sound let Kakashi know that he had fractured a couple ribs. Kakashi followed up with a quick blow to the gut and the dismayed man was out cold. The silver-haired jounin wasted no time in finishing him off.

Sakura, with a vengeful gleam in her eye, as if these men were somehow responsible for what happened to Naruto, unleashed her fury on her opponent. She instinctively tightened her glove and gathered some chakra into her fist. With murder in her eyes, the normally cheerful kunoichi charged at the enemy, who surprisingly evaded her strike. The cocky smirk on his face, however, vanished as soon as he saw the kunai that seemed to materialize in the pink medic-nin's hand. Emerald eyes narrowed determination, Sakura twirled the kunai like the experienced kunoichi she was and let the metal weapon fly with just the slightest flick of her wrist. The nameless shinobi died with a distraught look on his face as the kunai embedded itself into his skull.

"Pathetic," Kakashi stated. Temari and Kiba nodded in agreement. Shikamaru, however, had a thoughtful look on his face as he observed the surrounding area with narrowed eyes.

A split second later, a fourth ninja silently jumped out from his concealed hiding spot and snuck up on the group from the opposite side. **"Body Restriction Jutsu!" **he murmured quietly, directing the immobilizing attack towards the Leaf and Suna shinobi in front of him. A white mist lethargically seeped into the air and began to swirl towards the group of ninja. The pale vapor descended onto each person, curling delicately around their body. Unseen to all but the user, the mist turned black after coming in contact with a person, and then completely vanished from sight.

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he discovered his inability to move, or even talk. He desperately tried to turn around, but other than slight twitches and the minuscule widening of his eyes, he couldn't really do much. Kakashi, Temari, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Sakura all stiffened at the same time as they sensed the fourth presence and discovered that they couldn't even turn their heads. Akamaru's ears twitched as he bared his teeth, ferociously growling and snarling like a caged beast.

Grinning nastily, the deadlier enemy gripped a kunai in his hand, fingering the dark metal as he sprinted towards Naruto's unconscious form. The other three men in his group had been mere decoys, collateral damage for the cause. He, however, had been the real threat. His grin widened as he lunged for Naruto's throat, kunai raised. The blonde was still held on Shikamaru's shoulder, eyes closed in his medically induced sleep. _'This is it,' _the hired nin thought, _'They'll award me greatly for killing you.'_

Temari desperately struggled against the jutsu, trying to move but knowing she wouldn't be able to get to Naruto in time. Kakashi's one visible eye widened in horror as he saw the kunai in the nin's outstretched hand getting closer and closer to his student's body. _'No, NO! Not again….'_

Kiba's vocal chords strained as he attempted to yell, but no sound came out. Tears of frustration leaked out of the corners of Sakura's eyes. Shikamaru just stood there, his expression one of horror and disbelief as he found himself completely helpless. The Nara trembled as he calculated the only possible outcome of this situation.

But then the unexpected happened.

A pulse of chakra suddenly burned greedily through the air, like a forest fire devouring countless trees. Naruto's eyes flashed open. The attacker's kunai was barely a foot from Naruto's head when it froze. The blonde's hand had shot out and latched onto the man's throat, causing him to stop in his path. Sakura gasped. Naruto was awake!

'_**Welcome back, kit,' **_a certain voice said from within the jinchuuriki's consciousness. Naruto noted idly that Kyuubi had returned to the cage within his mindscape, probably drawn back by the current influx of demonic chakra. Kyuubi didn't really need to be inside of Naruto for him to be able to access the fox's chakra, but using it sometimes canceled out the soul transfer. Naruto's thoughts, however, were still on the man who had just attempted to kill him.

The jinchuuriki's blonde bangs hung over his eyes, obscuring his face from view. The man made strangled gurgling sounds as he was lifted off of his feet. Suddenly, Naruto's head whipped up, revealing his hellish eyes. The man gasped, all confidence gone from his face. His cocky smirk vanished as it was replaced with an expression of horror and he began to tremble, eyes wide with fear. Naruto's orbs were a bloody red, with long, black slitted pupils. Anger and hate swirled within their fiery depths, like an endless pool of fury. He was looking into the eyes of a demon.

Naruto bared his teeth inhumanely and tightened his grip around the man's throat. His body was still bent over Shikamaru's shoulder, and the rest of his limbs appeared relatively limp. The attacker-turned-victim clawed fruitlessly at Naruto's hold, getting nowhere despite his struggling. The iron grip was unbreakable.

"Who. Sent. You?" Naruto asked, venom coating every single word. _'So what if I already know? I still have to play the part… though I really thought Hidan would have picked stronger mercenary nins….'_

The shinobi's face, which had turned eerily pale, began to take on a shade of blue. "A…Aka…Akatsu-ki," he choked out.

Once he was sure that everyone had heard who sent the man, Naruto's glare intensified and he increased the pressure on the man's windpipe.

'_**It's a pity that yet another has to die, while he isn't even one that you truly want to kill,'**_ Kyuubi muttered.

Naruto mentally raised an eyebrow at the fox's philosophical words and unusual lack of bloodlust. _'I'll get to them soon enough. Well, I might as well end this quickly, Kyuubi.'_

With one swift movement, Naruto tightened his hand with crushing force. Before anyone realized what had happened, the man's neck was broken. He was immediately released and fell to the ground with a thump. The second the body hit the ground, all of the shinobi were released from the restraining jutsu.

As this happened, Naruto leapt away from Shikamaru and landed lightly on the ground in a crouching position.

"Naruto…" Sakura's voice trailed off.

"H-how is he awake? Sakura, I-I thought you said we'd have at least two more days!" Kiba spluttered.

"I-I don't know. This s-shouldn't be possible."

Temari stepped towards Naruto but Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder, restraining the willful kunoichi. She looked sharply back at the Leaf jounin.

"We don't know how stable Naruto is, considering how he reacted yesterday to our presence. We also don't know how much the Kyuubi is affecting him, if yesterday was anything to go by. _You_ may still be considered an ally in his book, but I…I don't know if we can say the same for us," _'yet,'_ Kakashi spoke quietly, his voicing growing pained around the end.

Shikamaru just stared at the unpredictable blonde. _'It's amazing that regardless of how many years have passed, Naruto is still someone that you just can't factor into a situation without being proved wrong. How troublesome.'_

Naruto was still crouched down, eyes lowered to the ground and hidden from view. All of the watching nins tensed and prepared for what they figured was an unavoidable battle. Their eyes studied Naruto's every movement, watching as he looked to be trembling, but was actually conversing with Kyuubi.

'_What did I miss while I was out, Kyuubi?' _he was asking.

'_**Not a lot, kit. Deidara made his feigned attempt to 'capture' you last night…gave those Leaf shinobi one hell of a scare. Those two, Neji Hyuuga and Hinata Hyuuga, were injured the worst and are being brought back for medical treatment. And then a couple minutes ago, those four shinobi attacked. Too bad they didn't know their mission was a guaranteed failure and definite suicide. Humans are way too easy to manipulate, kit,' **_the demon lord muttered, rolling his eyes at the end of his statement.

Naruto smirked inwardly. _'Agreed. Even the Konoha shinobi have no idea what they've gotten themselves into. Well I guess I'd better get back to being the most unpredictable ninja.'_

The blonde jinchuuriki abruptly stood up, startling everyone out of their thoughts. He glanced around, surveying the area around him. Naruto's gaze paused on each dead nin, including the one at his feet, until he looked up to see the Leaf/Suna nins watching him carefully. As his eyes came to rest on them, they could see that his orbs were, shockingly, a beautiful blue as he met everyone's eyes. The Kyuubi's chakra seemed to have disappeared.

The jinchuuriki himself was the first to break the eerie silence, with a basic question. "Where am I?"

Kakashi pushed his questions aside and answered him. "Um, past the Wind and Fire border, in Fire country, relatively close to Konoha."

"I see," was the only reply he got.

It was silent for a few more minutes while everyone pondered his words. Kiba, predictably, was the one to speak. "So, you're not going to... attack?" he asked dumbly, unsure of what to make of Naruto's answer.

"No." They all just stared at Naruto. And then he asked a question that completely threw them off. "Would I be safe in Konoha?"

Kakashi's eye widened. _'Does this mean he's actually considering it?' _Everyone else was thinking along the same lines. But what could have brought this drastic change of attitude towards the Leaf?

Sakura was the one to answer him. "Of course, Naruto, you'll be safe there. Tsunade-sama wants you back and none of the villagers would dare to defy her," she cringed mentally when she forced herself to drop the -kun suffix, as that would probably just annoy Naruto.

But the blonde's attitude darkened upon hearing those words. "I don't even want to hear that traitor Hokage's name again! She's the one who banished me in the first place, so she might as well be dead as far as I'm concerned" Naruto spat venomously.

Sakura gasped. "Naruto don't say that! We already tried to tell you- it was the council that banished you! Lady Tsunade was at a meeting in Suna and had no hand in it!"

Kakashi carefully gauged his ex-student's reaction at those words. Naruto narrowed his eyes and hissed, "Don't you dare try to lie to me. There is nothing you can do to fix the past. The moment I was exiled, I lost all allegance to Konoha. Don't think I'll happily skip back to the village just because your Hokage says so. Maybe she should have figured that out before she banished me in the first place."

"I'm not lieing!" was all the pink-haired kunoichi could yell. Temari quickly glanced at the medic-nin. She hadn't ever seen Sakura this upset.

"Shut up!" Naruto snarled. _'Do they really think that lieing is going to get me back there? It's a good thing I'm genuinely pissed or it would be so much harder to hold up this act.' _Kyuubi growled angrily in reply at the Leaf nin's behavior. He had seen what Konoha had done to his kit, and they were going to pay for it. **_'Don't worry, kit, you're doing great. Besides, the angrier you seem, the less they'll want to pester you. Remember, you ARE their mission goal.'_**

It was at that moment that Kakashi started talking. "Naruto, think this through. Why would Tsunade-sama banish you? What reason could she possible have?" the copy-nin tried to be reassuring and gentle, but the effect was lost on the blonde man.

"I don't know and I don't care! Listen, I. Don't. Care. However, I have made my decision. I am coming back to Konoha with you, but make no mistake. I despise that village with all of my heart, but I'd rather be in it than have the bijuu sucked out of me and die. The only thing I regret is not getting out of their sooner. Sasuke, you lucky bastard...." Naruto muttered the end in as an afterthought, but it was overheard by everyone. Sakura gasped and a hand flew to her mouth. Kakashi's eye widened again, and beneath his mask he grimaced. _'What did I do for my students to turn out like this?' _Shikamaru was shaken and looked around sadly. Akamaru bristled and Kiba looked outraged. Temari walked over to the Inuzuka in an effort to calm him down so that he didn't carelessly start a fight.

"But you're coming back?" Kakashi clarified, unable to keep the tremor out of his voice.

"Yes. But not if there was any other way around it. I will NEVER consider myself to be part of Konoha and am only there for one reason and one reason only: to escape Akatsuki. That doesn't mean I have to enjoy myself there, so don't think that I'd even consider rejoining that village," he spat the word. "They hated me when I was young and beat me, and now I will return the favor. Unlike when I was younger, however, I will not fail to kill anyone who tries to hurt me.

The Leaf shinobi flinched at his harsh words, missing the happy genin he used to be, but nodded regardless. They were shaken up after realizing the true extent of his hatred for the place. Kakashi closed his eyes momentarily as he recalled his failure as a sensei to this man. He had been too consumed by the Uchiha's training to even notice that something was wrong, much less do anything about it. Was it his fault that Naruto had turned out like this?

Before anyone could say anything else, Naruto had turned his back to them. He took a few shakey breaths in order to appear to be trying to calm himself down. Naruto then took a step towards what he knew was the way to Konoha. These woods were still familiar to him from when he had to run and hide from the villagers. Naruto suddenly glanced back at the frozen shinobi, and said "Are you just going to stand there all day, or what?"

That snapped everyone out of their daze. Kyuubi chuckled at their startled expressions. Shikamaru knelt down and picked up Neji, while Sakura did the same for Hinata. The nins all formed a circle with Naruto as the center and started towards Konoha. At first everyone went relatively slowly, testing out the best speed for the group now that Naruto was awake. However, everyone sped up quickly after seeing the jinchuuriki's fast pace. Soon they were leaping from tree to tree faster than the eye could track. The only hints that gave away their presence were the occasional footprints that were left in the mud, and the rustling leaves of the trees where they had brushed them.

Everyone had fallen into a good rhythm within the first ten minutes. Sakura desperately wanted to talk to Naruto, but knew he'd never believe her, no matter what was said. Kiba wondered what had happened to his friend to make him like this, and desperately wanted to beat some sense into the guy. Temari pictured the happy man Naruto had been back in Suna, and compared him to this different, angrier one, finding very few similarities. She knew he had been exiled, but just how deeply had that betrayal cut him? Not to mention that she didn't know what to believe- was it really the council that had banished him, or was it actually the Godaime all along?

* * *

Before they knew it, an hour had passed, and then another one. Naruto pretended to be oblivious to the many 'discreet' glances thrown his way more often than strictly necessary.

Suddenly, the group of shinobi all stopped at the same time. No signals were needed, nothing. It was as if some kind of telepathic command had been given to them. Everyone knew they had arrived, and that Konoha was only a minor distance away. They also knew that Naruto probably wanted a moment to gather his thoughts. Slowly lifting his head, Naruto dared to take a look at what was ahead. His eyes, lacking any emotion, took in the tall, strong gates that were now visible, the ones that sheltered the village he hated so much. The village that beat and tortured him when he was too young to do anything about it. The village that attacked him when he was too stubborn to share his burdon . The village that robbed him of his childhood.

The village he would burn in a heartbeat if it had been an option.

Those massive gates were the only thing that kept him separate from that disgusting place. In his eyes, those gates were evil, laced with hatred and pain and betrayal. Sighing, Naruto resigned himself to his fate, and tried to accept Kyuubi's version of a comforting embrace. If his plan was to go through, then he had to go in there and complete that part of the mission. But those thoughts didn't seem to mean as much as they should have when he was standing right before the place that was the sole cause of his pain. He had to dampen the strong bloodthirst that threatened to overtake him, the need to kill everyone who wronged him and revel in their blood.

The gates of Konoha contained horrible people, people who were the true definition of evil, people who should have been killed a long time ago. And yet within these gates, they were protected, some even held in high esteem. But, they were no missing nins. They were the villagers and 'trusted' shinobi of the Leaf. Naruto knew not to overlook people just because they were 'harmless' civillians- harmless civillians my ass- they were the true demons!

Naruto watched, eyes devoid of emotion, as those same barriers that held everything back began to move, the strip of light between them growing and expanding. They moved lethargically, almost as if they wanted to prolong his pain and torture. And as the gates of Konoha slowly parted, in Naruto's eyes, they could have been the gates of Hell.

* * *

**Finally, Chapter 10 is DONE. I know it's not my best work, I've been kind of out of it lately. You'd think that I'd get more done than usual since it's spring break, but apparently that's not the case. I didn't expect it to take this long either- it took me a while to actually figure out how I was going to make things work in this chapter. **

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**Oh, and any suggestions you have for the rest of my story would be GREATLY appreciated (I love it when readers give their input!). So if anyone has ideas as to how meeting everyone in Konoha again will go for Naruto, or for future events in the story, please feel free to either message me or add them in your review. Yes, I know that some of you doubt it, but I actually do read every single review. You don't know how happy it makes me feel when I know that people actually like my story and are eager for me to update =)  
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	11. You Don't Know Anything

**Hey guys. Wow, it's really been a while, hasn't it? It took me two months, but now I'm back. I don't really have some kind of amazing excuse, I've just been busy with school (finals), family events, and have just taken some time to relax. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about this story! Oh, and for future reference, it's fine for people to message me asking when I'm going to post my next chapter, but seriously, be polite. I don't appreciate messages from people who expect me to answer to them as if they're the ones setting my deadline. Honestly, if I think you're rude, I might just not answer you. Regardless, here is Chapter 11- enjoy.**

* * *

'_Thinking'_

"Talking"

"**Demon Talking" =can be heard by everyone**

'_**Demon Talking' **_**= can only be heard in Naruto's mind**

**LOUD SOUND / Jutsu**

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* * *

**

Men and women bustled through the streets of Konoha, going through their daily activities with the ease that only years of practice could bring. Children scurried underfoot, careless but happy, occasionally being scolded by their parents. For most of them, it was just everyday life. However, the noise level of the village suddenly dropped dramatically. Street by street, people quieted as if someone was turning down the volume with a remote. People stared.

An indifferent look was plastered onto Naruto's face. His eyes were cold and calculating as he observed the villagers. They stared at him. He started right back.

Even the bravest and toughest men flinched away from his glare and hastily dropped their eyes. The blonde man who had once called this place home scrutinized the crowd of people gathered on the sides of the street. They looked to have just frozen in place, baskets still in hand, babies in their arms, palms touching the knob of a door. The emotions in their eyes ranged from subdued anger, to insolence, to rage and even confusion and uncertainty. Yet there was one thing they all had in common: fear. Fear for themselves, fear for their families, fear of the sealed demon. And most of all, fear that Naruto would snap and take revenge for what they had done to him as a child.

And Naruto saw this. He was the wild card here. He could turn around and snap their necks in a split second, go on a killing spree throughout the village without a second thought. He could use some massive jutsu and slaughter them all, just like what had been done in Sound. _**'Heh, if only they knew.…' **_Hell, they probably thought he would unleash the Kyuubi then and there. A snort came from within his mindscape. In the villager's minds, it was all up to him. Naruto smirked inwardly. He liked the smell of their fear. Kyuubi did too.

Beside him, his companions fidgeted nervously. Sakura just couldn't control her emerald eyes from darting back and forth from the villagers' mistrusting glowers to Naruto's blank stare. She pushed her pink hair out of her face and slowly hardened her features into a glare. _'The villagers… they wouldn't be stupid enough to try anything, would they? I'm not sure if Naruto would go through with his threat of killing anyone who mistreats him, but I just don't know him well enough to tell anymore.'_

Kakashi's emotions were masked by the cloth on his face, though if you knew him well enough, you would be able to pinpoint subtle signs, such as the small crease in his brow, and the slightly glassy look in his eye, that hinted he was deep in thought. Ever since the silver- haired man had stepped foot into Konoha, he had been like this. He had seen the way his blonde ex-student had placed on a mask, not a visible or a literal one, but a mask just the same. Kakashi wondered if anyone truly knew the extent of the abuse Naruto had undergone here in his childhood. The ex-ANBU closed his one visible eye momentarily as he delved deeper into thought, using his trained senses and strong memory as a guide.

'_There is also a matter of Naruto's true feelings towards Konoha. Surely, he doesn't really believe that Tsunade-sama actually initiated his banishment? How could he really believe that?'_ The Hatake trailed off in thought as he wondered what other crazy things Naruto had caused himself to believe.

Temari, his third and final companion, was walking the closest to Naruto. Kiba and Akamaru had taken both Hinata and Neji to the hospital as soon as they set foot into Konoha, seeing that there was no time to waste. Shikamaru had gone ahead to alert the Hokage of their arrival, probably preparing her for what was to come. So that just left Temari, walking alongside Naruto, and sending plenty of annoyed looks at the villagers. This was not her village, but even Suna had eventually accepted Gaara and welcomed him as Kazekage. The temperamental kunoichi glared angrily at a few of the more insolent civilians, obviously pissed off by their attitude. Like it or not, the villagers scrambled to make way for the Kazekage's sister, Kakashi's team, and the dangerous jinchuuriki who exuded a black aura and looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here. They were practically falling over themselves to get out of the way. Kyuubi laughed at the sorry sight.

Once the road was clear, the group of nin picked up the pace to the Hokage's mansion. On the way there, Naruto's enhanced senses briefly noted black forms flickering in and out of existence across the rooftops as they kept pace beside his group. _'ANBU,'_ he thought to himself.

Taking advantage of the wide berth they were being given, the group of shinobi made it to the Godaime's tower in under a minute. Sakura and Temari panted slightly, and the visible portion of Kakashi's face looked to be tinged red with exertion. Naruto, however, appeared to be fine. The blonde stretched out his arms, appearing to get rid of any lingering stiffness, but was actually checking his gravity seals to make sure that they were fully functioning. After having been forcibly deactivated by the medic nins in Suna, the gravity seals had been rather difficult to restart, especially without anyone catching on.

The two ANBU guarding the front door of the building quickly snapped to attention as Kakashi came into sight. And when they saw Naruto accompanying him, they immediately stiffened, and then slightly inclined their heads in synchronization. Neither of them wanted to end up like the five of their ex-comrades who had been executed that night five years ago for mistreating the jinchuriki. Naruto had the sudden urge to raise an eyebrow at this unexpected show of respect, but refrained from actually doing so. As he passed, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed ninja could still feel their stares boring into the back of his head, even from behind their stoic masks.

'_I wonder what's with those ANBU. They practically tiptoed around me,' _Naruto muttered in his thoughts.

'_**Who knows? They probably just think you're going to snap like the rest of them. Elite ninja my ass….' **_Was Kyuubi's curt reply. The demon fox obviously didn't like being in the Leaf village any more than Naruto did.

Breaking out of their mental exchange, Naruto blinked as they all stepped inside. His eyes regained their cold and emotionless expression, and seemed to be fixed on a single point, either avoiding or ignoring everything else. Temari's eyes flicked to the blonde as the temperature of the room seemed to drop a few degrees. The tension that had begun to build up ever since they entered Konoha was only getting denser and more unbearable. The Sand kunoichi was really worried about her friend, easily noting the many differences in this Naruto and the younger version of him that always wore that goofy smile. Temari may not have been around him as much in those days, yet she could still see the sharp contrast in his personality. Now, his face was blank and impassive, and vaguely reminded her of Gaara's expression all those years ago. Repressing a shudder, she paused for a moment, just enough to drop a few steps behind, and then started to walk next to Sakura. The pink-haired Konoha nin didn't seem to have a visible reaction, but Temari did notice her eyes dart nervously to her, and then back.

Kakashi was now walking in front of the two kunoichi, and therefore next to Naruto, but the Copy-Nin also seemed stiffer than before, nervous. About six shinobi of the Hokage's staff passed them on their way to the Godaime's office, each avoiding eye contact and passing without a second glance. Naruto, however, could sense their eyes flashing towards him as soon as they had passed. So he had been a topic of conversation around here, apparently. Leave it to the Godaime's staff to gossip about his 'pitiful' life to everyone, and at the same time have the nerve to bring him back. The blonde stopped a growl in his throat before it even started. He had to remain unaffected. He couldn't afford to show emotion.

And then they stopped. Everyone glanced up. They were at the door to the Godaime's office… standing right in front of it actually. Nerves increased tenfold as they awaited the showdown of tempers that was most likely to come. Sakura stepped ahead of the group and cautiously raised a fist, and then knocked three times on the door. Her touch was timid, as if expecting the wood to explode at any moment. Kakashi noted this with sad eyes. This mission had taken a huge toll on all of them.

The door was opened by a brunette woman with chocolate brown eyes. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, though a few locks dangled carelessly into her face. "Shizune," Sakura greeted quietly. The woman Naruto now recognized as Shizune nodded solemly before moving aside so they could enter. Everyone stepped forward, but was stopped by Kakashi calmly holding out his arm. "I think that as team leader, I'll go in first. You can just wait outside for a few minutes while I brief the Godaime… privately."

Sakura nodded and stepped back into the hallway, but not before giving the silver-haired jounin a questioning look. Temari accepted this and did the same, then propped herself against the wall as she prepared to wait. Naruto slowly lifted his eyes to look at Kakashi, and then went to stand next to Temari.

* * *

Kakashi stepped into the Hokage's office and shut the door behind him. He could already sense three people in the room; Shizune, Shikamaru, and the Hokage herself. When he looked up, he could see the question in Tsunade's eyes. Sighing, Kakashi performed some handseals and activated a silencing jutsu around the room that would prevent others from eavesdropping.

"Tsunade-sama, let me start off by saying that the mission was a success." At this, the Godaime's hazel eyes sparkled with happiness. "But also…Tsunade-sama, I'm sorry."

The smile that had been threatening to take over Tsunade's face now vanished. "What do you mean?" she asked shakily, unsure of what he meant.

The silver-haired jounin took a deep breath before answering. "Naruto… well he's changed. When we encountered him in Suna, he looked fine. Five years of being of being on his own" at this Tsunade looked down, ashamed at her helplessness, "didn't seem to have affected him at all. Later, when we spoke to the Kazekage and his family, they all said that Naruto seemed happy and was good company. But then, when we came across him and told him the purpose of our mission, Naruto went berserk. When Kiba accidentally made a threatening movement, Naruto knocked him out with one hit, and then did the same with both Hinata and Neji before any of us could even see him move."

Tsunade's breath caught in her throat but she listened patiently to Kakashi's every word.

"Shikamaru, Sakura, and I all started to attack him, but I was getting nowhere. I'm not really sure how it happened, Naruto must have used some kind of original jutsu, but all I saw was a flash of red so quick that I wasn't sure if it had even been there in the first place, and then Shikamaru was flying backwards at an incredible speed." After this the Copy-Nin paused, but it was obvious the Nara had nothing to add.

"Sakura and I then formulated a plan to hold him down and knock him out, which, by some stroke of luck, actually worked. Though shortly after Naruto was knocked unconscious, we realized a crowd of people had been watching us, along with the Kazekage himself, who seemed quite frankly, pissed. Oh, and I do believe that you may have some…er- expenses to pay for the damages inflicted on the Kazekage's personal training grounds…..Regardless, the mission was still a success, but not an easy success by any means."

After letting the Hokage absorb all of this information, Kakashi finished up his verbal mission report by telling her about the threatening note from Akatsuki, and the events since, including the troubles they had with Deidara. He also explained how Hinata and Neji had been so severely injured and that they were in the hospital and being treated right now.

Tsunade bit her lip. This was definitely not how she'd hoped it would happen. Naruto's return was supposed to be a joyful reunion of friends, but now she could see just how naïve she'd been. Naruto was now bitter towards Konoha, and hated the place with a passion. _'Oh Kami, how could you be so cruel?'_

Feeling that this was all a big mistake, the Hokage lifted her hand and beckoned to the door, which was immediately opened by Shizune. The silence jutsu was also dispelled as the Hokage's aid led Sakura, Temari, and Naruto into the room. Why was life so unfair? Tsunade quickly filed away her thoughts on an early retirement and stored them for later thought. Right now she had more important things to worry about.

* * *

The first thing Naruto noticed about the room was that there were three other people in it, though none of them a surprise. Standing next to Shizune, Shikamaru was leaning against the wall to the left, though his for once wide-open eyes gave away his true curiosity. The Nara's lazy posture was most likely forced, a thing of habit, the blonde deduced, blue eyes doing a quick scan of the Leaf nin. Most likely, Shikamaru was watching him just as closely. He could have smirked at the challenge. He didn't.

'_**Make the old hag sweat a bit, kit,'**_ suggested a drawling growl from deep within his mindscape.

Ever so slowly, the jinchuuriki lethargically dragged his eyes to the right, purposefully skipping over the blonde woman sitting at the desk in the process. Looks like there hadn't been any new paintings added to the walls. Though there were more than a few fist-sized dents that probably hadn't been there before. Oh, looks like she had gotten a new desk… again. Ah, well. He should probably cut to the chase. Through frustrating his enemies was always fun, this was something he really had to get over with. Just being in this office made his skin crawl.

And for the first time in five years, Naruto looked at the Godaime Hokage. Really looked at her. The one who banished him from Konoha, a village he would have given up his life for. A village he now hated. This was the same woman who had helped him to build up his hopes and dreams, only to crush them herself with the help of the council. She had once been his motherly figure, someone to look up to, someone to keep him out of trouble. And he had loved her. Loved her like the mother he never had. But no, not anymore. Now, Tsunade of the Leaf, Godaime Hokage of Konoha, was his enemy. He stared her down with angry eyes.

Tsunade's hazel eyes stared at him, filled to the brim with too many emotions to count. Naruto could see the hope, relief, sadness, determination, fear, regret, and joy all conveyed through her gaze. To say the least, her myriad of emotions surprised him. Had his temporary return really triggered all of this?

Then, Naruto studied the Godaime, just as she was studying him. Due to that unique genjutsu, the woman looked the same for the most part. Her pale blonde hair was still tied down her back in two pigtails while the shorter locks framed her face. Her hazel eyes were still sharp and piercing, with an edge of steel to them that let people know she wasn't to be reckoned with. And then there was that small purple diamond on her forehead that Naruto knew stored chakra. All in all, she was the same. But she was also different.

There were lines on her face that hadn't been there before. A slight crease of her brow, shadows under her reddened eyes, and an exhausted air about her were definitely knew. There wasn't that same gleam in her eye, though she would definitely still swing a chakra-fueled punch at anyone who said the wrong thing. Naruto tilted his head slightly to the right, wondering what had happened since he had left the village to affect the Hokage this much. Little did he know that he was the main cause of her stress.

The Uzumaki's thoughts briefly drifted toward the word _Hokage_. Hah- he used to hold that title in such high regards, worship it even. It had been his dream to become the Hokage and protect Konoha with his whole being. But now it all seemed like a sick joke. A sick, drawn-out joke that should have ended a long time ago. Because now, he had new dreams and ambitions, none of which he would be able to achieve with Konoha tying him down and holding him back.

The other occupants of the room shifted uncomfortably. Shikamaru watched Tsunade and Naruto stare at each other, and couldn't help but wonder what was going on inside both of their heads. He had witnessed the Hokage's reaction when Kakashi told her about Naruto's refusing to believe that the council was behind it all. The blonde ninja truly still thought that Tsunade had ordered his banishment, for whatever reason. The Nara silently shook his head, wondering what they could possibly do to set him straight.

Temari also watched the two, but focused more on the Hokage. Suna and Konoha were still not on the best of terms, and she took this opportunity to observe the leader of the Leaf. If she seemed genuinely sorry, then Temari was considering telling Gaara. If it had truly been a huge misunderstanding, and Konoha's somewhat corrupt government had been solely to blame, then there might be something that could be done. Gaara, however, was extremely close to Naruto even after all these years, and still probably wouldn't take lightly the fact that the Leaf's government, Hokage or not, had chosen to banish his friend. Would it even be worth it to make amends?

"Naruto," Tsunade started, but then stopped. She was obviously struggling for the right words, the ones that would make it all better. Well, those would be impossible to find.

The Uzumaki visibly stiffened at the sound of his name, but remained silent. What did she expect him to do? Burst out in tears and beg her forgiveness? Get down on his knees and ask her to accept him back into Konoha? If so, then she had it all wrong, because that was never going to happen.

"Naruto, I sent out a six-person cell to locate and retrieve you, in order to bring you back to Konoha. Do you know why?" The blonde ninja in question remained silent. Tsunade figured he would talk when he wanted to, so she just continued on. "We received information that the Akatsuki has become more active than ever. After remaining inactive for years, the organization's activities have suddenly increased and sped up, though we still don't know why. Regardless, yet another jinchuuriki has been captured, and there wasn't anything we could do to stop it. That means the Akatsuki now has five of the nine tailed beasts. Naruto, we brought you here so that Konoha could protect you. If they got the Kyuubi, and learned to wield it's power, then all of our efforts against them would have been in vain."

She paused, letting everyone absorb her words. Naruto still didn't speak. So she did. "I, as well as the majority of the clan heads, have decided that it is in the best interest of the village to protect you. So, you will stay within Konoha's walls for an undetermined amount of time, until the threat of the Akatsuki is over. And during that time, you may do whatever you choose, though if what Kakashi tells me about you shinobi skills is accurate, then we may be able to reinstate you as an official shinobi of the Leaf-" "No."

The quiet reply cut her next words off abruptly. "No…?" Tsunade echoed dumbly.

"No. I will not become a shinobi of the Leaf ever again. I will stay in this village temporarily, but I will never serve you or anyone else ever again." Naruto's words were spoken clearly and with conviction. Tsunade didn't know what to say. At least she had gotten him to talk…her monologue had started to get a bit boring. And his voice was definitely much deeper than before…

"B-but why wouldn't you except, Naruto?" Sakura's question broke the stunned silence. "That is incredibly generous of Tsunade-sama to offer you a position within the Leaf, especially to someone who hasn't been here for five years, so how could you brush that off so lightly?"

The blonde answered without even taking his eyes off of Tsunade. "Let me ask you, Sakura. Would you sign up to give your life for a place that would kill you in an instant? A village that would rather not see your face every single day. Would you want to protect a place that cast you out just because they wanted to?"

The pink-haired medic nin was silenced by that. She didn't dare answer. She couldn't.

So this time it was Shizune that chimed in. "But Naruto, be reasonable! Forget what happened in the past, and just think of what is best for you _now_. You know how much safer Konoha would be for you. The life of a wandering shinobi is so incredibly dangerous… your decision is just ridiculous!"

This time Naruto's eyes hardened into a glare as they focused on the brunette woman. From what he remembered, Shizune was a nice woman. But what she said was stupid. "Forget...my past? Forget my past? How the hell could I possibly forget what this village has done to me? The villagers beat me when I was a child, a helpless innocent child. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that they'd rather I'd be dead. And Shizune, I already know what is best for me now. And Konoha has nothing to do with it." His voice took on a bit of a growl at the end.

"But don't you think-" "No." Naruto immediately cut off Shizune's next words. "I know exactly how dangerous the life of a wandering ninja is, since this village forced me to be one for the last few years! And even so, I would say that I would have a better chance at surviving out in the world than in _Konoha_." The jinchuuriki spat the village's name as if it was some kind of poison.

The Hokage's aid bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything else. The boy- no, man, in front of her would think of a way to counter virtually every argument she could possibly come up with.

Tsunade stepped in. "The village has changed, Naruto! Now, everyone knows you won't take any disrespect, and no villagers would dare to harm you."

"You're wrong," he muttered, "someone will definitely try. But then again, what's another assassination attempt next to the thousands I've already endured?" Sakura and Temari cringed at this new piece of information, having no idea just how bad Naruto's childhood had been. "This time though, it's different. If anyone tries anything, I _will_ kill them."

The certainty in the blonde shinobi's words was unsettling for the Godaime. _'What has happened to you, Naruto-kun?'_

"What happened in the last five years to make you like this, Naruto?" came Kakashi's quiet question. "In the past, you wanted nothing more than to be respected in Konoha and to become the next Hokage." The Copy-Nin's mind filled with flashes of a young Naruto grinning goofily and shouting 'I'm going to be the next Hokage, believe it!.'

Naruto stiffened. What could he say? Definitely not the truth. He briefly wondered what their reactions would be if he came clean. _'That would definitely be something to see…'_

"That, Hatake, is none of your business," his voice was cold, and his tone was final. Kakashi frowned at how Naruto addressed him. _'He didn't even call me Kakashi….'_

"Naruto, you have to come back. Konoha is your home!" Tsunade frantically tried to search for the words that would bring him back.

"I was never accepted here, and I never will be. How could you forget something like that, Tsunade?" His cold words shook everyone in the room.

'_A-and he called me Tsunade… no one calls me that. It's always Hokage-sama, or Tsunade-sama… never just Tsunade. Does this mean he has lost all respect for me?' _The Godaime chose to ponder his words another time and refocused on trying to get him back.

"Look, if you won't come back to live in the village yourself, then I'll just have to do it for you. Naruto Uzumaki, as the Godaime Hokage of the Leaf, I order you to rejoin our hidden village." Her sharp words started the shinobi present.

It took a minute for Naruto to get over her ridiculous statement. But then he came back with a fury. "No way in hell. I am NOT under your control, and I no longer obey your orders. You would know, Hokage of the Leaf, because you're the one who banished me." Naruto's glare completed his statement.

Tsunade's patience was wearing thin. What had happened to Naruto? What was wrong with him? _"_How many times do you have to be told? I. Did. Not. Banish. You. It was the council's doing! Hiashi Hyuuga manipulated them while I was away on a business trip to Suna!"

Naruto's icy blue eyes seemed to pierce into her soul. "It's funny how one can come up with the right excuse when a decision from their past comes back to haunt them. Look, I don't care what you say, but know this: I don't believe you. Your lies are not going to get you anywhere."

Hearing this, Tsunade's patience evaporated. And she snapped. "IT WAS NOT ME. I TRIED TO SEND SHINOBI AFTER YOU, BUT IT COULDN'T BE AN OFFICIAL MISSION BECAUSE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES. You know this is the truth! WHY WON'T YOU BELIEVE ME?"

A growl came from deep within Naruto's throat. "Do you know what I've gone through because of this village? WHAT I'VE SUFFERED THROUGH, JUST TO GAIN RESPECT? Respect that I soon figured out I'd never get anyway? I would have given my life for this village, and they tossed me out like trash. Even though I hate you for doing that to me, whether you did it or not, it really doesn't matter, because if the ENTIRE FUCKING COUNCIL risked going behind your back for this, then what does it say? WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT ME? About their feelings towards me?" Those words cut right through the listeners' hearts. Tsunade stared at the blonde jinchuriki with tear-filled eyes. She couldn't answer him. "Exactly."

Gathering up the last of her courage and attempting to ignore the lump in her throat, Tsunade tried to speak. Her voice was much quieter now, her anger disappearing and sizzling out. "But you l-loved this village. You took all of that abuse j-just to accomplish your dream! H-have you forgotten about that? I know this isn't what you really want..."

What the Hokage was referring to was the fact that Naruto put up with everything the villagers threw at him because he put his dreams first. However, to Naruto this sounded like she was taunting him, mentioning his dream that will now never come true. _'How could she possibly think I had forgotten about that? That's been burned in my mind for the rest of my fucking life!'_

This time, Tsunade had really stepped over the line. Unintentional or not, he glared at her full of hate and fury, blatanly showing his emotions. Red coloring began to seep into the irises of his eyes, alarming all of the occupants of the room. Sensing their alarm, the blonde bared his teeth. "You. Don't. Know. Anything," he spat, upper lip curling ferally in disgust.

'_**Kit, relax! You can't afford to harm them now. Just wait until your plan has been completed, and then you can have the revenge you deserve. Acting now would be far to easy.,'**_ Kyuubi raced to calm his jailer.

A split second later, Naruto blinked, and when he opened his eyes, they were cerulean blue once again. All of the demon chakra had receded completely. But the glare was still intact. "If that's all…" he started, beginning to form a hand seal to teleport away.

Everyone stared at him, still shocked from his outburst. The killer intent he had been giving off was enormous, enough to shake them up. Tsunade's eyes were wide, frozen with fear. She began to shake slightly, staring vaguely at Naruto. _'What…what has our village done to him?'_

"Wait." Sakura was the first to regain control of her mouth. "Where will you be staying?" She looked towards Tsunade, but the Hokage was still frozen with shock, unable to be of much help. Quickly swooping in to take over, Shizune shifted through a few files on the top of the wooden desk.

"U-uh, it l-looks like we've got a f-few places open. There's a v-variety of apartments and housing available, as well as some hotels that have available rooms." The brunette obviously was having trouble controlling her words, internally berating herself for tripping and stuttering over the words but still unable to help it.

Naruto's mind spun. Where could he stay? Not in any of the hotels or inns, that was for sure. He needed a place where he would be able to slip in and out easily, and at all hours of the night. And any old apartment or house would be too easy for someone to break into… he needed security and privacy. Anything that went on in his quarters needed to be hidden from prying eyes. _'Where could I go? What would be the best fit? Oh. I know.'_

"No, I think I know where I'll be staying." Kakashi and Sakura's eyes darted towards his face.

Shizune spoke up. "But, you can't mean your old apartment? That building was demolished long ago-" "No. That's not where I meant." Naruto cut her off.

Sakura looked at him questioningly. "Then where?"

The Uzumaki took a deep breath and locked eyes with everyone in the room before replying. "I'll be staying in the empty Uchiha District."

With that, he crossed his hands in a sign that was too quick to follow and disappeared in a loud roar of flames. The fire rose in waves and washed over the room, but vanished just as soon as they'd appeared. Nine little black objects remained on the floor, still crackling and sizzling with heat.

Everyone stared in shocked silence. A few tears, held back for so long, ran down Tsunade's cheeks. Here was the famed Godaime Hokage of Konoha, Tsunade of the Leaf, practically a force of nature, reduced to tears.

It was a few minutes before anyone could get a grip on themselves. And then it was only Sakura who was able to take a few shaky steps forward to peer down at the small burning items. And then she paled.

They were nine leaves. Nine scorched, burning leaves.

* * *

**I'm so glad this chapter is finally done. For some reason, I really wasn't looking forward to writing it which is partially why I chose to take a bit of a break. I can't wait to write Chapter 12, though, because that's when Naruto is going to really start with the next part of his plan, since he's finally in Konoha. By the way, I apologize for this chapter being a bit of slow and drawn-out, but it had to be done eventually. Oh, and if you're wondering why I made Naruto stay in the Uchiha mansion, that was kind of a spur of the moment thing. He's friends with Itachi, and was friends with Sasuke, so I just figured it would make sense. He isn't known as the #1 Most Unpredictable Ninja for nothing, you know.**

**Please, feel free to review! I love getting my readers' advice and input! And remember, I read every single one! :)**


	12. Secrets Should Stay Secret

_*****Some of you may have noticed that I just changed the story properties from Naruto and Sakura to just Naruto. This is because I want to focus just on Naruto before I introduce any pairings, regardless of who they involve. I just feel that my story is not at a point yet where he would be able to handle a stable relationship. I will change the story properties back once I've decided and then included the pairing. Thanks for reading this, and sorry that some of you may have been expecting Chapter 13 to be up already. It'll come shortly though, don't worry.*****_

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**Hey guys, long time no see. Here's the latest chapter- enjoy.**

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'_Thinking'_

"Talking"

"**Demon Talking" =can be heard by everyone**

'_**Demon Talking' **_**= can only be heard in Naruto's mind**

**LOUD SOUND / Jutsu**

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* * *

**

The slow inhaling and exhaling of someone sleeping was the only sound in the otherwise silent room. Miniscule dust particles, too numerable to count, coated most of the surfaces in the room and fluttered idly in the air with each gentle breath.

Outside, the sun was steadily rising, but inside, the darkness was impenetrable. Thick navy curtains shielded the room from any light, repelling any of the cheery warmth from the confines of the home. If anyone were to tour this building complex, they would have easily been able to tell that it had been uninhabited for quite a long time, despite the obvious grandeur even in its current state. A red and white fan design, obviously a clan crest, was visible on many objects throughout this house. Though, you couldn't really call it a house- it was a mansion.

Many rooms and twisting hallways, hidden or apparent, were located in this manor, enough to accommodate a small army. However, every single one of these rooms was devoid of life, well, all but one.

On the second floor in that one bedroom lay a certain blonde ninja, obviously not an Uchiha if the pictures of the once-many dark-haired clan members that littered the walls were anything to go by. Startlingly blue eyes flashed open, pupils contracted and chest heaving. His hands gripped the dark silk sheets in a death grip, fingers twisted violently in the fabric. It took all of ten seconds for the Uzumaki to calm down, realize where he was, and relinquish his unyielding grip on the sheets, and take a few slow, deep breaths.

Sure, waking up in an unfamiliar place was always disconcerting at the least, but it had been that dream that really got to him. Naruto, finally calmed down, wiped the sheen of sweat from his forehead and continued to breathe regularly. His bare chest rose and then fell languidly as he tried to recall the nightmare. It had been calm at first, nothing strange or out of the ordinary, but then something had changed. But, as hard as he tried, Naruto just couldn't remember what had caused his peaceful dream to morph into a vicious nightmare.

After a few minutes he gave up, figuring anything important would come back to him later on. Naruto closed his eyes for a brief moment, assessing his chakra, and confirmed that Kyuubi was still resting. Stretching his muscular arms, Naruto heard a few joints stretch with a satisfying _pop_. He then rose from the bed, changed into some nondescript black training clothes, and headed out into the hall. Surprisingly, neither the darkness nor the eerie silence bothered the blonde jinchuriki. A younger version of him might have nosily protested such a dreary atmosphere, but Naruto didn't really mind. Honestly, the lack of sound was a welcome solace in his tremulous life.

Sighing, Naruto wondered why this dusty, abandoned mansion felt vaguely like home. It took a short while, but the nine-tailed jinchuriki finally found the door he was looking for. It seemed to be in a different place than when he had mapped out the house last night. Shrugging, Naruto opened the door to what could most definitely prove to be a very useful place: the private Uchiha training grounds. Grinning, he stepped outside.

* * *

Ino Yamanaka strolled quietly through Konoha. Her pallid hands were buried deep into the pockets of her deep purple fighting kimono. To anyone around her, it would appear like the relaxed-looking bleach-blonde was simply taking a morning walk, but that was not the case. The young woman of the mind-manipulating clan was walking with a purpose. She knew the way to her destination by heart despite not having been there in many years; apparently her academy days of stalking a certain broody genin had ingrained it into her memory.

But something was troubling Ino. _'Lady Tsunade…she's been in such a depression since yesterday afternoon. And this morning, she looked horrible, eyes red as if she'd been crying all night. Anyone could tell she hadn't gotten much, if any, sleep.'_

Shikamaru, being her teammate and childhood friend, had given into her 'troubling' prompting and told Ino some of what had occurred the day before in Tsunade's office. And frankly, she was worried about the Hokage. And then, there was what had happened this morning.

[FLASHBACK]

_Ino knocked lightly on the door to the Godaime's office. She had been called here very early, which had been a shock in itself since Tsunade was no early riser. "Come in," called the Hokage's voice, sounding oddly strained. Ino stifled a yawn as she let herself in. _

_"What did you need me for, Lady Tsunade?" inquired the Yamanaka as she stood before the heavy wooden desk. She pretended not to notice the deep bags etched into the Hokage's skin, or the suspicious redness in her eyes._

_"Well Ino, I've got something I need you to do for me. The others are either out on missions, taking a much-needed rest, or recovering from injuries." At this point, Tsunade ran a hand through her hair before gazing up at Ino once again. Her eyes held no glint of steel in their weary depths._

_"I need you to… to go to the Uchiha district, I'm sure you know where that is." Ino willed herself not to blush at the reminder of her genin days. "I need you to locate Naruto and bring him to your father."_

_Ino's eyes widened. "You mean at Torture and Interrogation? Lady Tsunade, why the heck would you want to send Naruto there?" _

_The Hokage looked up at her with regret in the depths of her eyes. "Ino, this has _nothing_ to do with what I want, remember that. Let's just say that there was a bit of a… disagreement between me and two council members late last night. We had opposing viewpoints, and I, frankly, lost. Their arguments overpowered mine, and I was forced to concede. Now go, and don't leave Naruto alone until he is secured within the walls of T & I."_

_Still shocked, Ino turned around and left the office. The Hokage, Tsunade of the Leaf, had backed off? Had given up? What was happening? _

_Still deep in thought, Ino bumped into Shizune in the hallway. The Godaime's assistant looked equally as tired and emotionally drained. Ino bit her tongue to resist the urge to ask, knowing that what she got out of Shikamaru would have to suffice. The Yamanaka picked up a sheet of paper that had escaped Shizune's hands and handed it back to the brunette. _

_"Good morning, Shizune," she said quietly. The other kunoichi glanced up at her, flashed a bad attempt at a smile, and returned the greeting._

_"I'm sorry," Shizune began, "I really should be paying more attention to where I'm walking. It's just that…" here, the smile slid off of her face, and her eyes slowly slid to look at the partially-closed door to the Godaime's office. Shizune's voice lowered to a whisper. "Lady Tsunade has been having a hard time lately. And it's beginning to affect her work, so I have to pick up the slack so no one knows anything's wrong! But it's just so hard! Look," Shizune held out the piece of paper that Ino had handed back to her. _

_Ino examined the words on the parchment. There were splotches of ink all over the document, check marks where there shouldn't have been, blank areas where there should have been checkmarks, and a sloppy signature that didn't even come close to the indicated line. She met Shizune's eyes with an equally worried face._

_"I know what's wrong, but…but I just don't know what I can do! I mean, it isn't me, so there really isn't anything that I _can _do, and that's killing me! I've always been able to help Lady Tsunade, yet I honestly have no idea what I can do to help her through this. And the only person that could possibly help her has no desire to whatsoever!" Shizune bit her lip and looked away, clamping her mouth shut before anything else could spill out of her trembling lips._

_Ino's eyes softened at the woman's miserable face. She gave the Hokage's aid a quick hug and spoke some reassuring words. "Look, Shizune, I know this is really frustrating for you, but just hand in there. It's not your fault, and you just wait, because everything's going to work out…."_

[END FLASHBACK]

Ino cleared her mind of the scene and tried to look more aware to passer-bys. Everyone who worked directly with the Godaime would have to do their job twice, hell even three times as well to compensate and hide the problems of any..inner workings.

It was obvious to Ino what was going on. And she fiercely hoped that no one else would find out or exploit the Godaime because of it. Because Tsunade Senju was cracking, and her iron- clad willpower was crumbling under her control.

* * *

It must have been late morning by the time Naruto finished his regular exercises. The gleam of sweat covered his body as he sat down to take a breather. The blonde picked up the towel he had brought with him and used it to wipe the sweat off of his face. It felt great to get some good exercise now that he was alone. If the blonde had picked anywhere else to stay, he was sure Konoha would have had him under constant surveillance, but the Uchiha District made that physically impossible. That clan was particularly cautious and secretive, and had multiple long-term jutsus in place that literally forbid others to keep tabs on them.

Realizing the time, Naruto figured he might as well check in with …_friends_. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. Naruto then lifted his hands from the ground and performed fifty handsigns without even looking, those same fifty handsigns that had become so familiar to him throughout his years of exile. An indistinct phrase ghosted past his lips as the blonde sent out a low-frequency burst of chakra. The strange feeling of wind blowing past his eyes stopped as soon as it had started. The jinchuuriki slowly opened his eyes, yet they were glazed and unseeing as if deep in thought.

However, Naruto was seeing the landscape, just not the one that was in front of him. However, unlike last time, it was not the golden sands of the desert near Suna. No, this time he saw a landscape of deep caves and caverns, the area completely barren of any vegetation. Rocks covered the dry, cracked ground, and stone fragments littered the area, dangerous as mines on a battlefield. Two figures were crouched down behind a barrier of large boulders, squinting into the distance. If one were to look very hard, they would be able to see the faint outline of a city in the far west. The deep red clouds on their cloaks were barely visible due to the obstruction jutsu that had been placed over their hiding spot in order to conceal their presence. But, Naruto saw right through it.

"Itachi, Kisame," he greeted in a quiet but superior voice. The figure on the left only gave a barely perceptible twitch to show his surprise, while the person on the right jumped and spun around spastically with wide eyes. However, both knew there was no one to be seen. "Leader-sama," they greeted and gave slight bows.

"Is there any news?" asked Naruto's deep timbre, deceptively silky smooth. Itachi was the one to answer. "Yes. It appears that this village has very tight security. They do not appear to trust the few outsiders that actually visit the city, and keep them under constant surveillance. Permission has to be given to anyone in order for them to gain entrance, as a unique earth-style jutsu must be used in order to uncover the entryway. We should be able to enter fairly easily, however, given Zetsu's specialty. His presence would be most...appreciated." The eldest living Uchiha drawled out in an emotionless voice.

"I see," was the leader's reply. He thought for a moment, and then asked, "and our target?"

Kisame answered this one. "He hasn't left the city for the time we have been watching, so it's safe to say that they realize the danger he's in. Though, there are a certain number of... rumors that have been of interest to us. Apparently he is an older man who spent most of his life traveling, but came home to his birthplace of Iwagakure recently. The bijuu locked inside of him apparently allows him to create and control lava."

A single blonde eyebrow rose, miles away from the two Akatsuki members. "Lava?"

Here, Kisame started to sweat. He merely nodded, praying that the information was correct, as it would be his head on the chopping block otherwise.

"That's... unusual," Naruto mused. Then, turning his attention back to his two followers, Naruto spoke again, this time in a more commanding voice. "I will send for Zetsu immediately. As for you two, I expect you to be inside of the Hidden Stone Village and tracking the target within two days time. On the third day, I the Yonbi should be secured. Understood?"

Two identical nods answered his statement.

As an afterthought, Naruto added "Oh, and by the way Itachi, your house is much more comfortable than I would have expected."

Then, with a slight twitch of his hands, the jutsu was cancelled. Naruto blinked and then rubbed the dryness out of his eyes. There was still a hint of a smile on his lips, not quite the Cheshire grin of his prankster days.

Itachi Uchiha found it hard to stop his left eye from twitching.

_'It appears that everything is going as planned...good. I hope it stays that way,' _thought Naruto.

He then walked back inside the building complex and rummaged through some drawers. After a few minutes, he finally pulled out a blank piece of paper. He soon found a pen to accompany it. Naruto scribbled a quick message on the paper and then held it between his thumb and forefinger and stared at it intently. His bright blue eyes narrowed in concentration as he channeled chakra to his fingertips. Multiple tongues of flame appeared and slowly started to spread across the surface of the paper. Once the small flame completely consumed the paper, all that was left was the charred skeleton of the note. His eyes dancing, Naruto leaned forward and blew gently on the ashes in his hand. They immediately rose up and scattered, disappearing from sight. Satisfied, Naruto strolled back outside to continue his training.

* * *

Somewhere, in an incredibly dense area of forest, a palm-sized area of air seemed to catch on fire. The flame did not expand, but gradually got brighter and brighter until with a slight _whoosh _they vanished. From that exact spot, a small sheet of paper lazily drifted downwards. When it was about five feet from the ground, a black and green hand that was most definitely not there before, shot out of a tree trunk and snatched the paper out of the air. Two glowing yellow dots appeared above the hand, slowly materializing into pupil-less eyes. The eyes angled downwards and moved slightly from side to side as they read the note. The rest of a strangely colored face appeared as Zetsu finished reading the note. _'It a**ppears that Leader**-sama **requires** ou**r assista**nce...' _he murmured to himself. Then, the strange being crumpled the note into a ball, raised it to his lips, and shoved it down his throat. _'Mmmm...**tasty**.' _

_

* * *

_

There was a loud knocking at the door. One, two, three times. An almost undetectable pulse of energy was sent out with each touch, racing quickly through the walls of the mansion. Out in the training area, Naruto's keen senses detected the beats as the house gave them off. _'Interesting... I would never have guessed what lengths the Uchiha Clan went through to stay informed. Even the house is programmed with jutsus to notify them of every change in the area.'_

Naruto wiped away some sweat with the towel and pulled a black shirt on over his head. _'I guess it's time to deal with whatever's been sent my way.'_

The blonde formed a single seal and arrived behind the front door in a matter of seconds. Slinging the towel over one shoulder, he grasped the doorknob and pulled it open. Standing before him, idly twirling a piece of blonde hair, was Ino Yamanaka, one of what used to be the Rookie Nine. With one look in her perpetually gossip-hungry eyes, Naruto already knew this was going to be a very long day.

"Ino," he greeted quietly.

The blonde woman smiled brightly at this. She schooled her features carefully free of suspicion, and put on a bright demeanor as if she wasn't just seeing him for the first time in five years. Though, of course, this did not stop her from slowly running her gaze up and down his handsome frame. "Hey Naruto! I was sent here to escort you this morning. The Hokage had to have you checked out, now that you're, you know, back in the village."

Naruto nodded and cut in before the bleach blonde could start babbling like he remembered from their genin days. "I'll be out in a minute," he drawled before closing the door in her face. Outside, Ino huffed, but did not comment and remained undeterred. She mentally slapped herself to stop from thinking about what was happening behind that door. _'This is NARUTO you're daydreaming about,' _she reminded herself.

Meanwhile, Naruto had wandered back upstairs and found the bedroom where he had stored some belongings in. He quickly slipped out of his training clothes and changed into some new ones. If anyone were to glance in the mirror on the wall at that moment, they would see a very experienced-looking ninja. Loose black paints scattered with pockets designed to hide many secrets covered Naruto's lower half. His black kunai pouch was strapped across his waist, resting lazily on his left hip. Lastly, a coal-grey t-shirt clung to his well-developed chest. Without a glance in the reflective surface, he made his way back to the front of the house. Naruto reopened the door, stepped outside, and closed it behind him. Unsurprisingly, Ino was still there, waiting. He had to admit, a little part of him had wished that she had just left but alas, he was not that lucky.

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked, looking her right in the eye. A pink flush momentarily dusted Ino's cheeks before she willed it away. _'Wow,' _she thought shamelessly_, 'it seems that Naruto's turned out to be quite the catch.'_

"The Torture and Interrogation Complex," Ino replied after gently clearing her throat. It was a pretty awkward thing to say, and she had been hoping to avoid it for as long as possible. "Tsunade-sama requires your...thorough evaluation." The blonde kunoichi averted her eyes and started walking. To her relief, Naruto followed and appeared next to her without any prodding. Due to this, she failed to see the way his eyes hardened at the mention of the Hokage. To Ino's surprise, he did not answer, but only nodded in acceptance.

_'I suppose this wasn't completely unexpected,' _he said mentally. **_'We'll just have to best them at their own game then, kit,' _**replied a deep voice from his mindscape.

_'Ah, Kyuubi, I see you've finally woken up,' _Naruto stated.

**_'Mmhmm. It's nice to get back in my den for a rest, and by my den, I mean your head,' _**Kyuubi's voice rumbled.

Naruto fought the urge to roll his eyes. He glanced to the left, and watched with some amusement as Ino quickly dropped her gaze the moment their eyes met. It appeared that she had been staring at him the entire time.

_'Naruto's actually... **hot**_,' she thought after her thorough examination of the man walking silently next to her.

They walked for about twenty minutes more in silence. Tsunade had specifically requested that they refrain from running so that they could keep Naruto from using as much chakra as possible. She remembered what the Godaime had said about trying to wean him off of chakra in an effort to protect the village and prevent him from practicing any jutsus. However, what confused her was that they knew for a fact that Naruto had not left the Uchiha Distract at all, yet when he answered the door he was soaked with sweat. That implied that he had been training, but the closest training ground was being used during that time. Perhaps there was a hidden Uchiha training ground that he had traveled across that did not record or report his chakra.

Breaking away from this train of thought, Ino absently wondered what was going on inside of Naruto's mind. What really had happened over these past years? Despite taking him to Torture and Interrogation, she felt the urge to find out for herself.

Focusing a small amount of chakra, Ino looked at her companion and brushed at the mental barriers of his mind, hoping to skim the surface of some of his thoughts. Her sly actions, however, did not go unnoticed by the sharp shinobi. He purposefully opened up his mind a bit, allowing her more access. Naruto then sent the equivalent of a mental poke to Kyuubi. If Ino was careless enough to forget that there was a bloodthirsty demon fox residing in his mind, then oh well...her mistake.

Ino was surprised about how easy it was to enter Naruto's mind. Her father would surely make quick work of this if he was so easy to read. She reached out to grasp a thought streaming by, but was surprised to see it recede and divert its path away from her. She tried and tried again, getting sloppier each time. Slightly frustrated, Ino delved deeper into the Uzumaki's mind, getting a hold of one of his thoughts.

When Kyuubi found that the young Yamanaka was now within reach, he smirked and slowly rose to his full height. Deciding he needed to look as threatening as possible, Kyuubi bared his teeth and hissed menacingly. In response to his growing annoyance, his hackles rose like a cat's and his muscles tensed. Breathing in deeply, the Kyuubi reached out with one enormous paw toward the picture of the stumbling girl that he had been watching.

Ino's eyes widened as she felt an unknown presence pulling her towards a certain part of Naruto's mind. Before she even had time to try to resist, her senses were suddenly overloaded with a dark, malignant chakra. Her legs trembled, and the Yamanaka suddenly found that she could not support herself under the weight of the killing intent that was being exuded. Red chakra swirled around her, and Ino suddenly found that she had trouble breathing. Her vision was starting to turn black. Panicked, Ino wildly tried to escape. The last thing she remembered was a deep cackling and an overwhelming amount of crimson chakra before she was thrust out of Naruto's mind.

Eyes wide with shock and terror, Ino stumbled as she tried to regain her senses and appear as if nothing had happened. Surely, Naruto must have felt that. She felt his eyes on her and felt incredibly embarrassed at being caught. But..what was that evil presence inside of his mindscape? And then, the answer hit her like a ton of bricks. _'You idiot! That was the Kyuubi no Yoko! The freaking demon that practically destroyed Konoha!' _Ino realized that she really had not been anticipating the beast to be so close to the surface of Naruto's mind. Honestly, the thought did not even occur to her!

When she finally got up enough courage to meet the taller blonde's waiting gaze, she had to fight with herself to keep walking. Because Naruto's normally blue eyes were..._red! _He sent her a knowing smirk that made her feel worse than a child who had been caught trying to steal a cookie from the cookie jar. She was now certain that he had known what was going on the entire time, and had been able to lead her into his mind while still keeping all of his thoughts hidden. _'Dear God,' _she mused, _'just what are we dealing with here?'_

_

* * *

_

It was about ten minutes later when Ino stopped walking and motioned for Naruto to do the same. He stared at the normal-looking rock in front of them. **"Kai," **Ino said in a confident voice. The genjutsu peeled away to reveal a very large door, easily twenty feet high. The door looked very out of place, protruding from a random rock. Ino placed her palm on the door and thrust some of her chakra into the metal. Most likely recognizing her chakra signature, the door slowly unlocked, allowing Ino the pull it open. She nodded for Naruto to go first and then followed him in, keeping a close eye on the other blonde.

"This way, Naruto," Ino said in a calm voice as she led him easily through the labyrinth of hallways. She weaved her way though the many different rooms, following the mental map she had formed after her brief internship here. Naruto followed the sound of her footsteps through the dark corridor while discreetly examining his surroundings. All around him appeared to be a dark abyss, yet he could sense the wall a mere six feet away on either side. _'Strange.'_

The footsteps stopped and Naruto looked ahead to see Ino twisting the handle on a door he had not realized was even there. Perhaps the darkness was meant to scare people into admitting their deepest truths. People without his advanced senses, that was. Kyuubi chuckled darkly in agreement.

He was led into a dark room with a single light hovering over a black chair. Taking the hint, Naruto sat down and made himself comfortable. He supposed that this was an interrogation room. Well, whatever techniques Inoichi Yamanaka was planning to use on him to get him to reveal his most heavily guarded secrets, they were not going to work. The head of the Yamanaka clan, after all, had no reason to believe that man and demon were working together to keep certain secrets hidden.

Ino made three quick handsigns, and whispered a few words that Naruto could just barely hear. "**Body Binding Jutsu.**"

Metal cuffs rose up from the chair and latched tightly onto both his wrists and ankles, securing him to the chair. When he struggled with his right hand, a painful jolt of electricity coursed through his system. _'Well, I guess this is the ideal time to observe the Leaf's interrogation techniques.'_

Ino looked at him with slightly worried eyes and whispered, almost too quietly for him to hear, "Sorry Naruto." The blonde kunoichi then turned her back, long hair sweeping behind her, and exited the same door they had come in. Her purple battle kimono was the last thing he saw before he was thrust into nearly complete darkness except for that annoying light that was still dangling above his head. _'Cliche much?'_

Twenty minutes, two sighs, and two zaps later, Naruto was still lying in the exact same position. He figured that waiting in this 'scary' room was supposed to intimidate him. However, he was not intimidated. Let's just say that you're not afraid of things that go bump in the night when you house the very 'monster' that frightens people in their darkest nightmares.

After twenty more minutes and a few jokes with Kyuubi, the door was thrust open. Naruto's body gave an involuntary jump at the bang the metal door made when it slammed into the wall, and he had to bite his lip to keep from crying out at the electricity that was coursing through his body.

Inoichi Yamanaka, with his Konoha headband glinting in the small amount of light, entered the room. He was dressed completely in black, and so his body was barely visible in the darkness. The Yamanaka clan head walked forward with strong, purposeful strides, and placed a hand roughly on the top of the restrained jinchuuriki's head.

"Well, well, Naruto Uzumaki," Inoichi's face twisted into a cruel smirk, "let's see what your mind can tell us."

* * *

**Well, I hope that chapter satisfies whatever Akatsuki-leader Naruto cravings you've been having for the moment. Chapter 12 wasn't actually supposed to be this short, but it's all I had time for so everything else that was supposed to happen will be in Chapter 13. Thank you so much for reading my story! See you next time, guys! **

**Reviews make my day, so please, if you have a heart,  
**

**R**

**E**

**V**

**I**

**E**

**W**

**!**

**... i love you?**


	13. Fatal Mistakes Suck, For You

**_****I've decided not to focus on a pairing at the moment- I'm still laying the framework for my story and putting more effort into the actual STORYLINE and PLOT. I'm sure there'll be a bunch of one-sided stuff considering that I made Naruto quite attractive to the ladies, but nothing substantial. As for all of you who are asking me about it - No, this it NOT one of those fics where Naruto just goes back to loving Konoha in the blink of an eye (you'll see how it turns out and you won't be disappointed, I assure you)._  
**

**Well guys, I've finally updated. School's out and I've got lots more free time. I just couldn't figure out exactly what to put in the middle of this chapter (I had the beginning and end written months ago). From now on, I am going to be much more organized and plan out exactly what I need to happen in each chapter. Also, there are many details that I introduced in the beginning of the story that I DID NOT FORGET about, so don't think that I'm just a careless writer- they'll come back eventually ;).**

**Here it is!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

'_Thinking'_

"Talking"

"**Demon Talking" = can be heard by everyone**

'_**Demon Talking' **_**= can only be heard in Naruto's mind**

**LOUD SOUND / Jutsu**

* * *

A heavy, expectant silence filled the small room as Inoichi Yamanaka placed his hand on top of Naruto's head. The jinchuuriki wasn't really sure what was supposed to happen, so he just kind of sat there awkwardly. A few more minutes passed. Inoichi's grip tightened. _'Isn't something supposed to be happening..?' _He had expected some sort of instant shock and barrage of attacks, but nothing of that sort seemed to be going on.

'_This…is fairly uncomfortable,' _Naruto muttered to the fox inside of him. He really didn't think that an interrogation would consist of an older man touching his head for an extended period of time. Then again, he had never been formally interrogated before.

'_**Agreed,' **_stated Kyuubi, and Naruto received an amusing mental picture of the fox leaning as far away from the Yamanaka's presence as possible.

A satisfied exhalation was all the warning both jinchuriki and host got before a force slammed into Naruto's mindscape. It pressed against his mental barriers roughly and Naruto got the unexpected sensation of something clawing its way into his mind. He flinched as a shrill screeching pierced his ears. The pain came a split second later, when the force seemed to grab ahold of something and went into a wild frenzy. Naruto got the distinctly unnerving image of a claw shifting the barriers of his mind and slipping between them. It created a tiny gap, squeezing the rest of its presence inside, and forcing its way into his mind. Splashes of light darted across his vision as it seemed like some kind of thunderstorm was occurring in his mind and whipping the air around.

Naruto's eyes opened wide and he fought the mindless spasms that threatened to overtake his body. His teeth clenched together as he tried to detach himself from the situation. He desperately tried not to move, but failed and accidentally bit his tongue as electricity jolted through his body. Then, the jinchuuriki could feel the harassing, banshee-like presence finally calm down as Inoichi started to prod around. Naruto let out a hiss as he felt the unwanted presence in his mind, but held Kyuubi back. _'Wait for it,' _was the unspoken message. They had to wait until Inoichi was deep enough, otherwise he could exit Naruto's mind and have a huge advantage over the bound shinobi.

Meanwhile, Inoichi closed his eyes and focused on reaching Naruto's memories, which was turning out to be slightly more difficult than expected. When he reopened his eyes, he had left his physical body behind and was wandering through a strange, dark tunnel. He blinked. _'It looks like some kind of …dirty sewer? How unusual.'_

Normally, minds were like an open book to the experienced interrogator, who was usually able to attract tendrils of memories towards him with little effort. However, this man's mind was filled with complex passageways and seemed to resent his presence. Inoichi began focusing more of his chakra on calling forth Naruto's memories. He frowned when none appeared before him. It was highly unlikely that this boy would be able to possess the necessary skills for such intricate mental defenses, as that would have taken years and years of training, much like what he had gone through to reach the position of Head Interrogator.

He tried again, pressing his hands together and forming several quick signs to increase his focus. Nothing. Inoichi gritted his teeth and waited, pumping out a bit more chakra. He smirked as swirls of color began to curl around his mental body. The strands of wispy light ranged in color from bright white to every other hue imaginable. The shimmering swirls seemed to embrace his body, curling around his presence delicately but never quite making contact. Feeling the taste of victory, the Yamanaka reached out to grab a tendril that would contain one of Naruto's memories. It silently slipped away from his grasp. Ionichi frowned. He reached out again. The memories retreated. The expert frowned again, face hardening. Memories were not sentient beings. The colors were just the mind's way of representing them, but they shouldn't have been able to shy away from him like this.

Now that the pain had mostly subsided, Naruto suppressed the urge to smirk as he felt Inochi growing more and more frustrated. Kyuubi bared his teeth in rebellion, eyes glinting with amusement as his senses painted a very interesting image of the Yamanaka clan head wildly reaching for the swirls of light that never failed to dart away from him at the last second.

Inoichi, panting, decided to try a different approach. He walked towards the slimy wall of the tunnel and placed his palms against it. After a moment, he brought his fist back and paused for a moment before slamming it through the barrier.

Outside, Naruto bit back a scream. A nasty cut opened on the upper portion of his left arm. He stared at the wound, unsure of what to make of it as dark blood seeped from the parted skin. Another blast of pain rushed into his system, and an identical cut appeared on his other arm. Again and again this happened, bruises and cuts forming on his body without someone physically inflicting them. Naruto's breath grew ragged as he endured the beating as he had endured so many others.

He quickly deduced that Inoichi was inflicting quite a bit of damage up there, but his technique diverted the actual force towards other parts of Naruto's physical body, so as not to destroy the mind. Clever.

In a deep recess of Naruto's mind, the Kyuubi growled in anger. He could feel the human punching and forcing himself through blocks in Naruto's mind in an effort to reach the center of it. He probably figured that the memories would be deeply rooted in that area, since that's where they were originally created in the mindscape. _**'What an insolent mortal.' **_But he waited, a couple of tails twitching impatiently now and then as Kyuubi prepared to rip his prey apart.

Meanwhile, Naruto was in agony. He was completely blinded by white-hot pain searing through his vision. He could faintly feel liquid washing over his body, probably blood. Something was preventing him from healing. That's what it was- he couldn't feel the regular thrum of his overactive chakra. This was bad. Inoichi was obviously somehow blocking his chakra pathways from reaching his brain. This was really, really bad. Chakra deprivation was extremely serious and often fatal. If he had had the energy, the jinchuuriki would have let out a string of colorful curses. But it hurt too much to speak. He just held on as best as he could.

For a few more minutes the torture continued. Inoichi relentlessly forced his presence farther and farther into Naruto's mind.

The jinchuuriki hadn't felt this much pain in a very long time. A flashback unfurled before his eyes, showing a stoic orange-haired man staring down at him and crackling with power. Naruto blinked, and there was that same figure, but sprawled before him, broken and beaten. Naruto could see the shape of his own arm as it reached out, riddled with cuts, soaked in blood, portions of bone exposed. He- _'No._

_I have to keep my mind blank. I will not let him win.' _Naruto's spastic vision calmed down slightly at his resolve, yet he still winced at the next burst of pain.

Inoichi was getting closer now. The Yamanaka could feel it. The gentle hum of memories in their most simplistic state. This was it. He balled both hands into fists and cracked his knuckles, black gloves stretching and relaxing. Inoichi took one step forward. Then, he dove into a patch of soft green light and started tearing at the somewhat solid mist, determined to uproot it. Outside, Naruto's body seized uncontrollably.

_[Flashback]_

_He nodded to his comrades, all cloaked identically, yet each individual irreplaceable. They turned as one to look at the vast settlement before them before sprinting away. _

_He stood motionless, surveying the bustling streets from the rooftops. They all belonged to __**him**__, had willingly participated in __**his**__ experiments and other affairs, therefore they were all snakes. They deserved to die. _

_Blood. Everywhere. Splashed onto walls, sprayed across streets, everywhere. The world had a red tint to it. And it felt so good._

_[End flashback]_

Naruto gasped, forcing himself back into consciousness, trying to separate himself from the pain. He swallowed his undying hatred for Orochimaru, the snake-bastard that had stolen his childhood friend, and focused on staying in the moment.

'_No,'_ he thought weakly. His plans had failed. He had underestimated the lengths Konoha would go to in order to uncover his secrets. That was a huge mistake. He let out an inhuman shriek as more of his mind was torn up and brought into the open.

_[Flashback]_

_A raven-haired man kneeled in front of him, alone in the world. The man raised his eyes to look into his, revealing them to be red and tearstained. _

"_I am innocent," he mumbled, eyes narrowing and hands scrunching into fists. _

"_I was only thirteen years old. And I'm tired of being the scapegoat."_

_A hand, his hand, suddenly found its way onto the man's shoulder. He looked into the weary eyes of this man, someone who had lost all that was dear to him and had been wronged so many times. He opened his mouth to speak-_

_[End flashback]_

Inside of Naruto's mindscape, Inoichi couldn't help but shudder. Eyes wide with shock, he let the green mist escape from between his fingers. He did not know what to make of the bits and pieces of memories that he had just witnessed. They brought up more questions and answered none. Who was Naruto? What had he been? Why-

His thoughts were cut short as the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. The air suddenly became charged with an energy that had definitely not been there before. He suddenly became immobilized. The interrogation expert struggled and thrashed without success. He tried sending out pulses of chakra vibrating at high frequencies to disrupt whatever was binding him, but to no avail. He couldn't adequately focus his energy due to being unable to perform handsigns, but since there isn't truly anything of mass inside a person's mind, the force should have been disrupted regardless.

'_Why can't I move?'_

Multiple more impossibly solid tendrils snaked around Inoichi's body, glowing red with heat and… _'killer intent?'_ A sudden burst of flame, gleaming like a firework, illuminated the cavern he was currently inside of.

Inoichi's blood ran cold. Nine enormous red tails were wrapped around his frame.

He began to tremble, and turned ever so slightly to glance behind him. Inoichi's worst fears were realized. A puff of air, which turned out to be cause the entire cavern to become light for a brief moment, met with his face as enormous teeth parted menacingly. Too-close demonic eyes glinted in anticipation.

"**Because I have you now."**

* * *

And that was the end of one Inoichi Yamanaka, Head "Questioner" of the Torture and Interrogation Unit. His body would later be found on the stone floor of the interrogation room, thoroughly crushed, blacked, and still smoking even hours later.

* * *

The whiteness clogging up Naruto's vision finally dissipated. He sat up and discovered that the electrified bonds holding him in place had fried and disintegrated. Stumbling unsteadily, he barely made it to the door, which was much harder to open than it looked. He thrust himself out into the hallway, only to ram (painfully) into an unexpected mass.

Naruto's pupils dilated as he _felt_ the throbbing of warm blood as it pulsed through this new man's veins. In his wild and frenzied state, he couldn't help it really. Naruto tore into the unsuspecting and shell-shocked Torture & Interrogation employee, who had just seen a bloody mass explode out into the hallway.

The scream was deafening.

This new man, whose hair appeared to be a startling shade of white (before it was drenched in blood), turned out to be a well-trained shinobi. He fought back the blonde's savage attacks, but new gashes were appearing on his body in at a quickening pace.

The white-haired ninja must have been well-aware that he was fighting a losing battle. Forcing a glare and putting on a brave face, the shinobi of the Leaf ran through a series of well-practiced but rarely used handsigns. He had been instructed to walk through these halls and keep watch for anyone suspicious. His clan elders had ordered him to kill the demon-child if Inoichi didn't finish him off by accidentally breaking his mind, but Inoichi's "improved" orders ( *cough* by the council *cough*) had been to push Uzumaki to such a degree that death would have been likely. He hadn't really been expecting to have to kill Uzumaki in the end, but that was his mission. And that's what he was going to do, even if it meant using the last of his remaining chakra and sacrificing his life. Little did he know that he was about to make the biggest mistake of his life. The white-haired nin completed the sequence of signs, then paused for a moment, eyes darting everywhere as he searched for an opening, like a coiled cobra.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, the crazed look starting to disappear, but it was too late for the his mind to clear before the attack came.

The assassin struck. **"Deconstruction Jutsu!"**

The jinchuuriki's head snapped back as two of the white-haired man's rigid fingers came into contact with his right temple. The world seemed to freeze for a moment. Naruto's eyes widened dramatically. Then, some kind of internal **SNAP** could be heard and his vision fogged over. He lurched backwards and struggled to keep his balance.

"**A**aa**aaaa**aaa**hhhhh**h**h**h**h!"** A roar rang out, part man part beast. Kyuubi hissed and shuddered with the pressure closing in on him. His eyes grew more feral, as did Naruto's. The fox's fur stood on end and bristled sharply. He roared again, tails sprawled outward and rough chakra thickly coating the vicinity.

Naruto could vaguely sense his attacker slump to the ground due to the vibrations it sent through the air. He wasn't even in full control of his senses anymore and couldn't hear a thing. He couldn't see where he was headed anymore due to the perpetual blackness that hovered over the hallway.

Naruto bit his lip to keep from crying out. He staggered in a random direction, further down the hallway. The blond stumbled, clutching the right side of his head with one hand. Blood seeped through the spaces in between his fingers and dripped down the side of his face. One shoulder clipped the wall and he bit down hard to keep from crying out. Kyuubi's howling subsided, and he weakly barked out directions, having memorized them on the way there. The fox's voice sounded weary and tired.

Naruto finally reached the end of the twisting corridor and barreled into the oversized metal door. He searched blindly and frantically for the handle as the pounding in his head grew more intense. Once located, the jinchuuriki then grasped the cool metal –surely leaving a smear of blood- and yanked it open. Naruto lunged for the outside world as the entryway slammed shut behind him.

The blonde shinobi then stumbled a few steps away until he reached the hard surface of another boulder. He leaned heavily against the rough wall, breathing erratically, and tried to steady himself with the support. Only seconds later, however, Naruto let out a ragged cough and slumped to the floor. His back was against the wall as the world began to spin. His eyes, an ominous dark red, were wild and unseeing.

"Sh-shit," he gasped weakly, and pressed both hands to his face. The throbbing on his right cheek persisted.

'_**Not good…not good,' **_Kyuubi hissed, frantically pumping his chakra into Naruto's system. Inoichi had deprived him of chakra for far too long. This should not have been allowed to happen.

Seething with anger, the tailed beast began to glow inside his cage. Tendrils of chakra rose up from his fur and hissed as they evaporated like steam. Concentrating, Kyuubi forced more energy into his host's system, regardless of any future repercussions. This had to be dealt with- now.

'_**Kit, hold on, do you hear me? Whatever you do, Do Not Pass Out! Kit? Kit! Naruto?'**_

Naruto, however, remained impervious to his words. Mere seconds later, Naruto lost consciousness, despite the frantic shouts. The blonde collapsed to the ground as darkness overtook his vision.

'_**Fuck.'**_

* * *

Kakashi Hatake was casually strolling towards the Torture and Interrogation complex. His one visible eye was fixed unseeingly on his copy of Icha Icha Paradise. The Copy-Nin's mind was more concerned with the information that Inoichi had undoubtedly pulled from Naruto's mind. Because no one had ever been able to block out Konoha's Interrogation Department- it was unheard of. So, he continued busying himself with guesses as to where his ex-student had been for the past five years. The million dollar question: What had happened to him?

That was, until he felt an unusual pulse of chakra. There shouldn't have been any activity all the way out here, considering the entrance to Torture & Interrogation was so close. Alarmed, Kakashi broke into a sprint, book tossed in his vest pocket and long forgotten.

The silver-haired jounin reappeared a few meters from the hidden entrance, where his eyes met a startling sight. Naruto Uzumaki, number one most unpredictable ninja, was slumped against the wall, passed out. He rested face-down in an alarming pool of blood. Kakashi felt chills go up his spine.

'_What the hell happened?'_

He reached Naruto's limp form in an instant. Kakashi's hands trembled slightly as he reached down to pull the blonde away from the wall. His fingers lightly grazed Naruto's neck, causing him to flinch back as if stung. Troubled, he glanced down, only to see his entire right hand beginning to redden.

'_What…?' _His mind drew a blank. The silver-haired jounin reached out to touch Naruto once again, only to feel that searing heat flash through his flesh once more. He stared at his palm where the skin was beginning to blister.

"This is impossible," the Copy-Nin muttered. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a pair of heavy gloves, quickly slipping them onto his hands. Curling and uncurling his fingers experimentally, Kakashi gently tapped Naruto's skin. Nothing. He pressed harder. A slight warmth penetrated the gloves, but that was all. Upon further examination, much of the material was already charred on the surface and beginning to wear away. This was a ridiculous amount of heat. Straining his face slightly away from Naruto on instinct, Kakashi turned the limp form over with painstaking slowness.

As Naruto's unconscious face came into view, Kakashi couldn't help it- he gasped.

He ran a single finger over the left side of Naruto's face, but was still unable to feel the texture of the skin through the fabric. His palms instantly began to sweat. Yet he was not concerned with that. He actually did not notice the uncomfortable heat at all. It was the all too familiar marking on Naruto's face that stole his attention.

The marking was composed of three parallel lines, each roughly two inches long, one stacked above the other. The lines were colored a deep purple and were slanted diagonally up to the right. They extended from his upper right cheek to the left of his eye, even touching the top of one eyelid. The brightly colored mark practically forced the eye to look at it.

He had seen the same three lines above the left cheek of countless enemies of the Leaf… lying on the floor after interrogation, dead.

* * *

Kakashi was beginning to panic. Naruto was still lying unconscious, unmoving. The Copy-Nin couldn't feel the blonde's pulse because he couldn't physically touch his skin, and such a slight heartbeat wouldn't be felt through gloves. And he was no medic-nin. He tried to come up with ways to transport Naruto to the hospital, but using speed techniques with an unconscious person who you couldn't even touch was not a good idea. That left one option: wake him up.

Kakashi reached down and grasped Naruto's shoulder, intending to wake him and stop whatever was causing the blonde's skin to radiate such a strong heat. The Copy-Nin gently shook Naruto's shoulder. The jinchuuriki's mouth parted slightly, but he did not awaken. Something powerful must have really knocked him out.

'_Then again…'_ he winced, eyes darting back to the purple marking.

He jostled the blonde further, and started to call his name.

"Naruto." A shake. "Naruto." Another shake. "Naruto Uzumaki." A third shake. Nothing. By now Kakashi's gloves were threadbare and slowly falling apart. He winced as he saw multiple cuts on Naruto's arms start to bleed again.

Still crouching down, Kakashi withdrew his hands and then clasped them together. He formed three handsigns in a row, then muttered **"Water Style: Water Pellet Jutsu!"**

Tiny spheres of clear liquid formed in the air above Kakashi's head. With a flick of the wrist, he sent them hurtling forward. The drops of water splashed against Naruto's face, a small army of raindrops. The jutsu wore off six seconds later, and Naruto's head was thoroughly soaked.

Sure enough, the blonde scrunched his face up and dazedly cracked an eye open. Kakashi watched in fascination as the water soundlessly evaporated into steam, revealing mostly unmarred skin underneath.

'_He doesn't even notice it happening…'_

Naruto's eyes appeared to be almost fogged over, unfocused, as if lost in thought. He lifted his head as if drugged and slowly rotated it from side to side as he laggardly looked around. Kakashi was rooted to the spot.

Naruto's disoriented expression lasted only for a few moments before his eyes locked with Kakashi's. His blue orbs instantly regained their intensity as his gaze sharpened, the world coming into focus.

Naruto looked away, and Kakashi watched as Naruto put weight on his hands and sat up. Cerulean blue eyes drifted downwards to stare at the dark pool of blood that marred the ground. Shakily, as if afraid of what he would find, Naruto raised one hand to feel the back of his head. When he pulled it away to examine, it free of blood. Inwardly relieved, Naruto put pressure on his arms, only to hear a disconcerting hissing sound. His eyes, along with Kakashi's, flashed to the ground. Unnervingly, the grass under his palms slowly blackened and then collapsed into ash. The dirt started to get all warm and gooey at his touch.

Naruto snatched his hands up and cradled them against his chest. He looked at Kakashi again, eyes untrusting and confused.

The silver-haired jounin felt compelled to speak. "Look, Naruto, I just found you here on the ground-"

"I know," Naruto interjected, then sighed. "I couldn't make it any further."

"What happened to you?" Kakashi asked, a nervous edge to his voice.

Naruto's eyes hardened. After a short pause, he said simply "Inoichi Yamanaka happened to me. Oh, and some other little bitch too," He added as an afterthought.

The silver-haired jounin stared intently into the blonde's eyes, as if trying to draw his answers from there. "Naruto, I was told you would have minor trauma if any. This was only supposed to be a level two interrogation…" he trailed off.

Naruto fixed him with a glare. "That's definitely not what it felt like. Does a minor interrogation call for severe chakra deprivation?"

The masked shinobi paled. "No."

"I see."

There was a period of silence that lasted for about three minutes. As the blond man had talked, Kakashi's attention was drawn to his mouth. Naruto's canines appeared to be much more elongated than the average human, though not enough to be blatantly obvious to anyone else. Had they been like that before? The silver-haired jounin couldn't remember.

Without even looking at him directly, Naruto could tell the Copy-Nin was stealing quick glances at his face. Turning towards him, the blonde's annoyance was obvious. "What?"

Kakashi got right to the point. "How did you get that mark on your face?" His eyes traced the thin purple lines.

The jinchuriki stared at him. "Mark…?" His hand drifted towards the side of his face where a heavy throbbing was still present. His fingertips tingled strangely as he made contact with the skin in that area. _'Oh, right. That's where that white-haired guy got me.'_

"Let's get you to the hospital. There'll be a mirror there."

At the word 'hospital,' Naruto's eyes flashed towards Kakashi's and his mouth tightened. He definitely did not want to go to a hospital, especially this one, but considering the plans he had for this village…. Naruto sucked up his pride and nodded. He gave a pointed look that clearly said "lead the way."

Kakashi nodded, relieved but also confused since the blonde had not put up any resistance to his suggestion. He must have been more hurt than Kakashi originally thought. The worry, however, was filed away into the back of his mind with other bits of insignificant information.

He took one last glance at the purple mark before making a handsign and disappearing. Naruto mirrored the movement and disappeared as well. The ground where he had been standing looked as if a forest fire had been there.

* * *

Naruto felt the breeze flow through his hair as he and Kakashi appeared in front of the main hospital of Konoha. He looked on with a subdued gaze, observing the too-green lawn, grey sidewalk and steady stream of people moving in and out of the building. They approached the glass doors and walked inside without a word.

A few minutes later the two men were both seated in a secluded room, Kakashi on a chair and Naruto on the examination table. The jinchuuriki tried not to be bothered by the fact that he hadn't heard from Kyuubi since the interrogation. He tried to convince himself that the nine-tailed must just be sleeping (at least until he could get some privacy to check on his closest companion).

Naruto placed his palm over the weak burning sensation in his left cheek and noticed Kakashi's eyes narrow. He decided not to award the jounin with a question. A few minutes later, an elderly male doctor knocked then immediately entered the room.

As the doctor adjusted his eyeglasses, a flash of light reflected off of them. Naruto glared coldly at him, memories of the abuse and neglect he endured here coming back.

The doctor opened his mouth to speak, but stopped short and stared for a moment at the purple mark on Naruto's face. Muted confusion and then horror flashed across his features before they returned to indifference.

"I am Dr. Koben and I am here today to do your complete physical evaluation. I trust that you will cooperate to your fullest ability." Naruto muffled a snort, but then directed his glare at Kakashi as he realized that the Copy-Nin must have planned to bring him here regardless of his condition.

'_Damn Konoha, using the situation to their full advantage.'_

The doctor cleared his throat and more medical personnel entered the room. They too glanced at the mark but remained silent. The blond was beginning to feel annoyed and increasingly anxious.

The medical professionals commenced various types of scans of Naruto's body. He didn't put up any resistance but wasn't overly cooperative either. If anything was unusual or off about him, the doctors and nurses didn't give any indication of it.

"S-sit up straight," ordered one of the nurses. Please with her fear, Naruto did as she asked. Another nurse aided the first one in checking his reflexes while the doctor busied himself by poking and prodding. He observed small cuts on Naruto's body as they gradually closed up and healed right before his eyes.

'_Amazing,'_ the medic thought. After further examination, he pulled Naruto to his feet, weighed him, recorded his height, and measured his muscle mass.

"Please remove your shirt," Dr. Koben said in a soothing voice that only sounded sickly sweet to the jinchuuriki's ears. He held the doctor's gaze for a good two minutes before slipping his shirt over his head and casting it aside.

Pink tinged the cheeks of the female nurses as they soaked in his well-toned features.

Dr. Koben frowned as his eyes fell on a large swirl mark on his patient's chest. The skin seemed to have been twisted and permanently disfigured in a way he'd never seen before.

'_This was never reported,'_ he thought to himself, reaching out to touch the mark. Naruto fought the urge to flinch.

"What is this from?" the doctor asked in a demanding tone.

Naruto looked at him with barely concealed annoyance and simply drawled "Chidori."

Kakashi's face tightened and he looked away. _'Sasuke.'_

Dr. Koben pursed his lips but moved on without questioning it further. His hand began to glow with green chakra as he brushed it over the rest of Naruto's torso. The blond eyed it impassively but inwardly felt very uneasy. The rest of the staff in the room watched intently as Dr. Koben's palm ghosted over Naruto's stomach and the seal appeared.

'_It looks…different,'_ the medic noted, and held up a page from the man's file for reference. He compared the two designs and decided that something was definitely off. He motioned for a nurse to record the changes while he continued the examination.

"Turn around…please." He had added the politeness an afterthought. The demon-vessel's eyes glinted dangerously but he obeyed. Five gasps met his ears as he did so. There were multiple shallow gashes on Naruto's lower back. They looked to have been made by some kind of monster. Each mark was a little more than an inch thick and ran from one side of his back to the other. Further studying revealed residual chakra on the skin, despite the gashes being long healed. But the most shocking part of all was the fact that the marks spelled out the words "Marked One" with astonishing clarity. Kakashi's one visible eye was incredibly wide as he tried to process the intense damage that had been done to his student.

"Who made these?" a nurse asked. No reply. "Who did you fight?" Still nothing.

'_Do they really think I would tell them?'_

Her eyes narrowed at his silent defiance.

"To have someone with such advanced healing abilities be left with a scar from this type of wound…you must have been hurt very badly. Yes, very badly indeed…" Dr. Koben mused.

'_Or maybe I just didn't want them to be healed,' _Naruto muttered defiantly in his mind. It took him a minute to remember that Kyuubi wasn't going to reply.

Seeing that he was getting nowhere, the main doctor again nodded to a nurse, who began to scribble on her clipboard at a rapid pace. He moved onto Naruto's limbs. Kakashi found it difficult to get the image of "Marked One" etched into the blond's flesh out of his mind.

'_What the hell happened to him?'_

One of the other nurses, a young man who had been in the background until this point, suddenly raised a finger and pointed at Naruto's arm. The blond directed his glare at this new figure. Taking the hint, Dr. Koben carefully turned his patient's arm over to reveal a nasty mark on the inner side of it. Closer examination revealed it to be the scar tissue of some kind of bite mark. The lines were pale and jagged, perhaps from some kind of aggressive animal?

Naruto frowned as he was once again reminded of Kyuubi's continued absence. _'Maybe I'll try to call summon him when I get back to the training grounds.' _He had to physically stop himself from rubbing the bite in thought.

One of the nurses prodded at the bite mark with one finger. "What could have caused this? And with his healing capabilities?" Naruto bit back a smirk at their confused blabbering. When they questioned him about it, he stubbornly refused to answer, narrowing his eyes in silent refusal. Annoyed but too intimidated to do anything about his silence, the medic nins continued.

Off in his own world, the doctor briefly wondered why the bite hadn't healed, seeing as it probably hadn't been nearly as deep as the gashes on Naruto's back, but didn't see any significance in it.

When his chakra-coated palm made contact with the scar tissue, the elderly doctor thought he saw a yellow spark, but it was probably just his eyes playing tricks on him in his old age.

Finding nothing unusual about the rest of his body, Dr. Koben finally got to what everyone had been waiting for. He slowly ran his hand over Naruto's forehead and across both cheekbones. Suddenly, the elderly medical practitioner jolted backwards as it stung. The green chakra disappeared from his hand as it reached to cover his mouth.

"I…I don't understand." His voice was unsteady. He took a calming breath before continuing.

"This mark you have here…we've never had a patient admitted with it." Wrinkles creased the doctor's forehead as his eyebrows scrunched together.

"But I've also seen it many times." Dr. Koben looked up to find Naruto's eyes boring into his. Some of the newbie doctors glanced around, unsure of what he was getting at, for they were too young, too inexperienced to have seen it for themselves. They also had too low of a clearance level. Kakashi kept his eyes on Naruto's face to capture any reaction he might have to the unavoidable news.

"But, sir, how it that-" the youngest nurse was silenced with a glare.

"This mark here…" he trailed off as he reached up as if to touch the deep purple lines, but only ghosted his fingertips over the skin. Naruto held his gaze unflinchingly, wanting to hear more.

"Well it is literally impossible for a living person to have this mark on them."

Naruto's breath caught in his throat. He wasn't really sure if he wanted to hear the doctor's next words.

"You see…it is a symbol of a jutsu performed by only the top members of the Torture & Interrogation Unit. It is a technique used on a person who has been sucked dry of information and is too dangerous to continue living or on someone who refuses to cooperate and is deemed dangerous enough to pay the ultimate price." If he hadn't held everyone's attention before, he certainly did now. However, Dr. Koben didn't appear to notice as he seemed to have zoned out.

"The jutsu forcibly and instantaneously enters the mind through these three marks here…" his eyes suddenly lost the unfocused glaze and looked straight into Naruto's.

"…And essentially causes the victim's mind to implode." There were wide eyes all around. Naruto's pupils contracted, and he reached up to touch his right cheek.

"You, Naruto Uzumaki, should be dead right now."

* * *

**That's the end of Chapter 13! I really just wanted to get this out so that I could actually start to work on the new content (this has been sitting on my computer and on papers scattered all over for months). I feel really bad about delaying it as long as I have, but I just didn't like how writing began to feel more like work than fun. Anyways, see you next time guys! Thank you so much for reading- you'll never know how much it means to me.**

**Also, your reviews truly help. I only reply to some of you, but believe me when I say that I read every single one. Earlier today I was actually reading through them and making notes about topics to include (some of you have fabulous ideas). Thanks again, and don't forget to  
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**(even if you don't have much to say).**


	14. How Many Times Can You Cheat Death?

**Enjoy.**

* * *

The hospital was eerily silent. All eyes were on Naruto, anticipating a reaction, an outburst, any kind of rise out of him. The blond was filled with dread, but not for the reason his observers would have expected. His fear was not for his own wellbeing, but for Kyuubi's. He hadn't heard from the fox since the incident. Naruto's thoughts ran wild with different scenarios. To calm himself, he closed his eyes. There. He could still feel the presence of the fox, it was just harder to locate than usual. He would have to get away from prying eyes before contacting the beast though.

A gasp from Kakashi caused Naruto's head to snap towards him. The words, "Marked One," on the jinchuuriki's back had gotten much more prominent and started to darken in color. It had reminded the silver-haired man disturbingly of Sasuke's curse mark. Looking over his shoulder at his old sensei, Naruto released the chakra he had instinctually gathered and gave the man a dark look from shadowed eyes. The scar reverted to its normal state as he held Kakashi's gaze.

One of the nurses said quietly "Honestly, to have scarred up like that, even with his healing, that gash must have literally torn him apart."

Fed up with others trying to uncover his secrets, Naruto spun around, asked if the medics were done but didn't wait for an answer, grabbed his shirt, pulled it over his head, and disappeared through the threshold of the door. The last thing he heard before exiting the room was the sound of the nurse scribbling on her clipboard.

Kakashi caught up with Naruto just as the blond stepped out of the hospital. The jounin was given a look that was clearly unfriendly.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but you can't go anywhere without an escort until the documents clearing your reinstatement into the village are cleared. Until then, you're stuck with me."

Naruto bristled and his hand twitched towards his kunai pouch (which they had surprisingly let him keep), but he remained silent. Inside, he was fuming, as this meant he would have to wait much longer until he could attempt to contact Kyuubi, who might need his help at this very moment. Externally, he just shrugged and continued walking, appearing to brush the news off as trivial.

Kakashi, however, was determined to talk to him. "The mark on your face is fading," he pointed out abruptly. Naruto faltered for a moment but did not stop. "What happened in there anyways? Did Inoichi do that to you? It seems very out of character for him, and not many people even know such a jutsu…" he trailed off, now speedwalking to keep up with the increased pace of his charge.

"Wait a minute. Where _is_ Inoich-san?" He watched Naruto's face carefully as his features turned distrusting. _'He was supposed to report to me afterwards.'_

The blond's upper lip curled in disgust, but he still didn't answer. Kakashi was beginning to feel a twinge of dread in the pit of his stomach. _'Had he…no, that's impossible. The thought of anyone overpowering Inoichi in the interrogation room is ridiculous. Inoichi must just be taking a long time to write his report. I'm sure he pulled loads of information that needs to be submitted_ _today.'_ Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

Meanwhile, Naruto was hoping that no one would stumble upon Inoichi's body too soon. _'Perhaps it would be wise to send a message to Zetsu. He always was the best one to clean up a scene.'_ Naruto's eyes strayed to the jounin walking alongside him. _'Then again, maybe not.'_

As the one-sided conversation faded into silence, something caught Naruto's attention. It sounded like a quiet crackling. He looked out into the trees on his left to see a small, perfectly square portion of a tree trunk up ahead start to disintegrate into ashes. Sparks could be seen glittering within that area of the trunk. Hiding a smirk of satisfaction, Naruto silently extended his right hand, moving fluidly to avoid alerting his companion. The dust slipped from the tree trunk and slowly slithered into his hand, forming an unidentifiable shape. A moment later, a perfectly normal piece of paper was within his grasp. Two hastily scrawled words caused a gleam to appear in the Akatsuki leader's eye that would not be seen on an innocent person.

They read: Mission Successful.

The capture of the Yonbi's host had apparently gone off smoothly.

Naruto mentally made a note to congratulate Zetsu on his impressive tracking and stealth skills at their next meeting. He then proceeded to dispose of the incriminating message.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi saw Naruto clutch his hand into a fist. A slight orange glow seemed to be slipping between his fingers. A moment later, the blond released the tension in his hand and flattened his palm, only to have some ashes fall to the ground and flutter away. Knowing that his question wouldn't be answered, Kakashi pretended not to notice.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, when they were getting closer to the middle of the village, Kakashi suddenly remembered something he had wanted to mention to his charge.

"Ah, Naruto. I almost forgot. Hinata has just become the head of the Hyuuga Clan. She'd like you to know."

Naruto didn't stop walking, but did look back at the older ninja. He considered this bit of information for a moment, then nodded and kept walking ahead. However, Kakashi didn't seem to feel that the conversation was over.

"You know, her father, Hiashi Hyuuga, was executed after you, um, left. He disgraced the family name and was disowned by the clan, despite his position. The embarrassment he caused was just too much. A document had been pending for the last five years about how the leadership of the clan would be passed, as there were no males in the main family, as tradition usually dictated. Recently, that document has finally been approved, and has given Hinata full rights as clan leader. Nothing of this sort had happened before and it caused much confusion in the Hyuuga clan, hence the long period of indecision."

Kakashi said all of this while staring at the back of Naruto's head as they continued to walk.

Naruto pondered this information for a good few minutes afterward. He eventually decided that yes, he liked this news. He liked it very much.

'_My stay here will be more effective, and the clans much easier to manipulate, if there's a chance I can have some sway with at least one clan head.'_

Later, Kakashi brought up something else. "There's…there's actually an inauguration ceremony tonight, since she will be released later today from the hospital." Kakashi tried not to think about the battle with Deidara and how he had been helpless to protect her from attack. "You're invited."

"That's nice." Naruto muttered in a dismissive manner that made it very clear that he didn't think it was very nice at all.

"Let me reword that – you are expected to attend. You don't actually have the option not to."

This time, Naruto did turn back to face him, blue eyes flashing in anger. The silver-haired jounin had unknowingly touched on something the blond hated more than anything else- people telling him what to do and trying to control him. He tried to relax the tension in his body, but it was much more difficult to do so without Kyuubi's encouragement. Another pang of worry hit him full-force, and it made the anger fade slightly from his eyes as the second emotion dominated.

Kakashi noticed this subtle change, and wondered what about a party could possibly make Naruto worried. Understanding his ex-student was proving to be much more difficult than expected.

"Fine." Naruto's answer surprised him due to the amount of anger he had seen in the blond's gaze.

* * *

They walked on in silence.

When the two ninjas finally reached the Uchiha complex, Naruto walked up to the front door, opened it, and stepped inside. When he sensed Kakashi following, Naruto abruptly turned to face him. He didn't invite the jounin inside, and just stood at the doorframe, eyes sharp with defiance, as if daring to be challenged. Kakashi remained a few steps behind, still outside.

The Copy-Nin sighed. "Alright," he told Naruto, "I'll meet you at this exact spot in two hours." _'And if you don't show up, I'll come in and get you myself.'_

Naruto heard the unspoken threat and gave a slight nod before slamming the door in Kakashi's face. The jounin gave another sigh before turning around, stuffing his hands in his pockets, and walking away with a slightly bowed head.

'_I'll get to the bottom of you, Naruto, I swear I will.'_

* * *

After the door closed behind him, Naruto abandoned his sluggish façade and ran to the secret passage to the hidden Uchiha training grounds that he had discovered earlier that day. The blond sat down cross-legged, got into a relatively comfortable position, and closed his eyes.

He took a deep breath. In. Out.

Naruto unconsciously placed two fingers over Kyuubi's bite mark on his arm.

The black he saw from behind his closed eyelids suddenly got much darker as he felt himself being pulled deeper into his mindscape.

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself standing before an immeasurably large cage. The seal on it had long ago worn away, and the immense door was slightly ajar. Cautiously, Naruto moved forward and slipped through the entryway, careful not to make too much noise with the water-like substance that splashed around his ankles.

Peering deep into the darkness, Naruto continued walking. The water was slowly getting deeper as the gate got farther and farther behind him. What really bothered him was the fact that he still couldn't locate Kyuubi. The fox was usually right up against the bars of his cage, even if the door was open.

"Kyuubi?" He called into the blackness ahead. No answer. He sloshed forward, intent on finding his most valued companion. "Kyuu?"

Naruto's voice sounded lost in the enormous cavern.

A shiver ran through his body and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. "Are you there?" The blond couldn't help but feel uneasy, which was probably ridiculous considering he was inside of his own mind. Anyway, Kyuubi rarely withheld his presence and usually liked to make himself known as soon as Naruto set foot in 'his' domain.

The blond was fully swathed in shadows as he trudged on. The liquid was now up to his knees, but he paid no attention to it. The uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach grew. A quick glance backwards confirmed that the bars of the cage were barely visible behind him.

It took a while for Naruto's eyes to adjust to the unnatural darkness, but once they did he could just make out a faint red glow.

"Kyuubi?"

The blond crept closer; squinting as he tried to make out a shape in the mist that fathered in a far corner. "Kyuu is that you?"

The vague red mass shuddered, but didn't move. Naruto approached it and leaned forwards. This was much, much smaller than Kyuubi usually chose to portray himself. And this worried the jinchuuriki.

Naruto's voice dropped to a whisper as he reached out to touch the red haze. "Kyuu? Are you alright?"

His fingers gently brushed the mist. He could feel a sharp intake of breath, and the fox instantly materialized in front of him as the mist condensed. Naruto was forced to take a step back as the shape exploded and grew. His face was met with bared teeth and feral eyes. A loud roar caused wind to blow past his body. The blond watched in interest as the fox stretched and grew a bit more.

The creature looked down sharply at him, eyes unseeing and furious. Kyuubi recoiled while swiping one paw of razor claws towards the man in front of him. His red fur was on end as he behaved like a feral animal. A blast of malicious chakra swept out into the environment around the both of them. Naruto raised an arm to shield his eyes, though the chakra was unconsciously deflected around his body.

'_I've never seen him like this before.'_

The fox abruptly placed his paw on the ground and brought his head dangerously close to Naruto's. Steam escaped his mouth as his lips curled and sharp teeth were revealed. Naruto felt the puff of air on his face. He slowly raised his hand and placed it right on Kyuubi's muzzle, which was now only a few inches away from his face. His host's touch seemed to bring reason back into the fox's mind. He promptly shrunk, fur laying flat once again as his entire body relax. Naruto could see his eyes clear and become the sharp and intelligent ones he was used to.

"Kyuubi_?"_Naruto asked cautiously.

The fox looked at him, truly looked at him, and regained his composure.

"_**Kit,"**_ Kyuubi acknowledged.

"Are you alright? The doctors said that jutsu should have killed me… what did you do?"Naruto couldn't keep the curiosity or the worry out of his voice.

The fox took a deep breath. _**"That jutsu was a very powerful one. It was designed to destroy an enemy's mind by causing it to collapse. It took a lot of my strength, but I managed to hold your mind together."**_

Naruto was suddenly struck with the image of a full-sized Kyuubi holding up the walls of the cavern, all nine tails splayed against the walls. _'So the only reason I'm alive is because he saved me….'_

"Why would that man use a jutsu like this if he knew I was a jinchuuriki? Wouldn't this resistance be expected then?"

The great fox shook his head ever so slightly. This caused a small shockwave to tear through the air. _**"No. Most tailed beasts do not even possess the power to do such a thing, let alone cooperate with their host. I, being the nine-tailed, have more stored power than the rest of them, yet the drain on my chakra was enough to render me temporarily unconscious." **_His red eyes glinted with revulsion at the memory. _**"And that, kit, is not an easy thing to do."**_

Kyuubi's tails were flowing out behind him, as they usually did, but Naruto noticed something decidedly wrong. Kyuubi. _Nine_-tailed fox. _Nine. Tails._ After counting and recounting seven times, he dared to point out _"Kyuubi…aren't you missing a tail?"_

The demon-fox's massive head spun around to glare at his eight tails trailing behind him. _**"It's that damn jutsu's fault. The exhaustion that I suffered caused one tail to dissolve into its most basic chakra form to sustain my efforts." **_His glare intensified as he thought of how the mortal had stolen away his tail. It didn't necessarily matter to Kyuubi whether the man had intended to or not. The facts were that the white-haired man had attacked his host, and therefore him, and had caused one of his tails to become lost.

"_**It should regenerate…eventually." **_Naruto could hear the disdain, annoyance, and frustration in the fox's tone. Kyuubi was obviously very miffed about the degradation he suffered due to the loss of his precious tail.

The blond secretly guessed that the fox just didn't want the Hachibi to think that they were now on an even playing field. Kyuubi did have a strong sense of pride, after all.

"Will you still be able to be summoned?"Naruto ventured to ask.

The most powerful tailed beast nodded slowly. _**"Yes, though likely only in my…smaller…form for a while."**_

"Alright,"the beast's host murmured, "I'm just glad you're okay."

Kyuubi gave a pointed glance at his tail, then at Naruto, as if to say "Do I really look like I'm okay!" but remained quiet.

* * *

Even though he still had a good hour left before he had to meet Kakashi, Naruto refrained from contacting Itachi, Kisame, or the rest of Akatsuki. They had to learn to operate without a reachable leader if they were to succeed in his extended absence. The blond simply decided to wander around the Uchiha complex, as if he had nothing better to do in the world.

* * *

"Really, Tsunade-sama, I think this could help."

Tsunade glanced at Shizune through half-lidded eyes, not too keen on the suggestion her aid had just made.

"I really don't think psychotherapy is necessary. I'm _perfectly_ fine. Anyways, I'm the Hokage- imagine how bad it would look if it got out that I was seeing a therapist," was her reply.

"But," Shizune pressed on, "maybe you could try just one session. I know someone who can be trusted and who would never say a word about it to anyone. Wouldn't this be worth it if it did succeed? And it would be much of a waste of time if it didn't!"

The Hokage's eye twitched at the persistence of the brunette. She wondered for the millionth time why she didn't hire a mellower, more laid-back assistant.

Sakura, who was also present in the room, sided with Shizune. She noted the dark circles under Tsunade's eyes, the way her hands shook every now and then, and the way she even had trouble keeping her eyes open. "Really, Tsunade-sama, I think it would be for the best."

The blond eyed her two students thoughtfully, though with a hint of annoyance. "You girls won't give up on this, will you?"

Both women shook their heads.

"Fine, fine, I"ll give it a go. But _just once_. And after the work day is over. I don't need this to interfere with my work."

Sakura just barely refrained from raising an eyebrow. _'Since when does the Hokage actually do her work?" _

"Set up a meeting with your contact, Shizune, and I'll see what I can do." The Hokage clearly did not look happy at the prospect of needing therapy sessions, but convinced herself that accepting them was the only way of appeasing her subordinates. _'Apparently, I'm not doing as good of a job of hiding my emotions as I thought…'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto had started to open random doors, hoping to find something to wear to Hinata's ceremony this evening. He didn't want to attract too much attention by wearing normal training gear, after all. This was probably a very formal event. There was no need to cause unnecessary trouble…_'yet.'_

There were a great deal of rooms on the second floor, yet many of the clothes in their closets were either the wrong size or severely outdated. He purposefully bypassed one room on his way to raid Itachi's closet. That door had ornate silver lettering on it that spelled out an unmistakable name: Sasuke.

Once he reached Itachi's room, he pulled open the closet and was confronted with an unexpected number of formal clothes. Naruto flipped through the raven's clothes, noting (with slightly annoyance) that nearly every garment seemed to have the Uchiha fan sewn into it. Although he did entertain the thought of freaking out the villagers by wearing the massacred clan's symbol, he figured that something more plain would probably be best.

An expensive-looking navy kimono caught his eye. It appeared to be close enough to his size and was made well. Shrugging, Naruto tried it on and found that it fit perfectly. He let a small smirk grace his lips as he acknowledged what a help his subordinate was unintentionally turning out to be. He turned to the conveniently placed mirror to his right, adjusted the outfit, and tried not to be weirded out by the fact that he was wearing Itachi's clothes.

* * *

"Alright, Shizune, that sounds acceptable," said Tsunade with a bit of a grimace as her aid told her that the therapist would be meeting with her at ten o'clock tonight. _'At least I have an excuse to not go to the Hyuuga ceremony. I doubt most of them would appreciate the ruiner of their ex-clan head walking around the compound.'_

* * *

Naruto had just reached the front door when he realized something very important. Regardless of how he intended to keep to himself during the party and stay (for the most part) away from everyone, he couldn't ignore the fact that this celebration would be attended by many people, most of them trained shinobi. And Naruto was very aware of how many ninja of this village still had grudges against him. The Hyuuga clan itself was one of the oldest ninja clans, and even the branch members had been trained since they were old enough to walk.

'_They will likely increase their security tonight as well. Who's to say that they won't attack me for no reason and later defend their actions with the claim that I provoked them? It would be their word against mine. Perhaps it would be best to bring some extra protection.'_

He ventured down a secluded hallway and into a back room for privacy in case Kakashi decided to barge in unannounced. The blond formed a few handsigns and then raised his right hand to his mouth and blew on it as he moved it along his lips. He whispered **"Summoning Jutsu: Emblem of My Rite" **against his flesh.A white light slowly appeared in the area that his hand had been. With his left hand, Naruto reached into the white orb. His entire forearm disappeared into the light as he rummaged around, searching. His lips quirked up at the edges in the beginning of a smile as he finally found what he was looking for. Naruto slowly pulled the item out, careful not to disrupt his jutsu. When the his arm and the item were finally out of the orb, the white glow dissipated.

He held the gleaming object up to the light that was coming from an overhead lamp. It was a medallion, meant to be worn around the neck, made of the purest gold. The chain was relatively thick and held the circular piece securely. Set into the gold was an enormous black diamond with countless brilliant red specks that seemed to float around in the gem's depths. In reality, the diamond was completely solid; the red gleams just represented the dormant chakra contained within the piece. At times, the surface appeared to be almost completely red, though right now it was clearly dominated by black.

Being able to summon this necklace at any time and to any place was a right possessed by only the leader of Akatsuki.

The medallion was a work of art; the inlaid stone was easily two inches in diameter. Right above the large pendant was a ring, also strung on the chain. It was made of silver and was a shade of grey close to purple.

It read: "zero."

Naruto remembered when he had first been given the chakra-infused necklace. He had been leader for less than a month when a white orb appeared, calling out to him. He reached out towards it, drawn by the thrum of chakra and the warmth of the beckoning light. His fingers had unexpectedly met cool metal. Naruto remembered pulling the object towards him, which soon materialized as a medallion within his grasp. It was later explained to him that this amulet present itself to each worthy Akatsuki leader.

Before he could get lost in thought, a few pulses of chakra through the walls indicated to Naruto that Kakashi was at the door. He quickly slipped the medallion over his head and hid it beneath his attire, where it rested against his bare chest.

If anyone with the right knowledge saw this, it would clearly and irrefutably identify him as the leader of Akatsuki. It was inconceivable for anyone else to ever be able to have possession of such an artifact without having killed the previous owner.

However, the danger without it would just be too great. The protections built into this piece were ridiculously effective, and at the moment the blond Akatsuki leader wanted as much discreet protection as he could get.

After all, what is life for if not taking risks?

* * *

Kakashi looked up as Naruto opened the door. He noted silently about the blond's attire, briefly wondering where it came from. Could Naruto really be comfortable enough in someone else's house to borrow clothes that didn't belong to him?

Regardless of his still active mind, Kakashi quietly motioned to Naruto and walked alongside him towards the Hyuuga compound.

They reached the main gate in a matter of minutes and were quickly ushered in by two masked guards. Kakashi noticed one of them stare at Naruto for a little longer than necessary, as if searching for something, before stepping aside and allowing them to pass. The jounin's eyes hardened, but Naruto didn't seem to notice.

* * *

Naruto had to admit, the large courtyard that had been decorated for the occasion was beautiful. The entire area was laced with many different kinds of flowers, both in bouquets and strung around the trees and rooftops. Warm-colored paper lanterns flickered beautifully in the fading light. Lights dangled from above, illuminating the area. Apparently the Hyuugas favored nightfall for their most important ceremonies.

"This way," Kakashi motioned, calling Naruto back to reality. He led Naruto towards a group of familiar faces. The blond was just barely able to conceal his disgust when he realized that the group consisted of Sakura, Neji, Kiba, Akamaru, TenTen, Shikamaru, Rock Lee, Shino, and Choji. Neji was probably off tending to his duties and cousin.

Ino was missing as well.

Sensing a pulse of chakra, Naruto glanced to his right, only to see that Kakashi had disappeared. The blond twitched. _'He would do that.'_

The group's conversation abruptly halted at his appearance. The Leaf nins stared at Naruto and he stared back.

He didn't want to talk, yet the rest of the Rookie Nine seemed to feel the need to start up a conversation. "So, Naruto, what's it like to be back?" Kiba ventured. He grew annoyed when his question went unanswered.

"Do..do you like living in the Uchiha complex?" Tenten's question was also ignored.

"I heard you were in the hospital this morning. What happened?" Sakura glared at Naruto's indifferent expression.

He continued to silently defy them.

'_Looks like we're not going to get much out of him,'_ the pink-haired kunoichi thought to herself.

Moments later, the ceremony had begun.

Naruto's blue eyes turned to watch Hinata walk onto a pure white platform. She was greeted by the Hyuuga clan elders, who stood on each of her sides. Her younger sister, Hanabi, watched from the front row with barely concealed jealousy. Hinata's lavender-colored formal clan attire glittered in the darkness. Her dark hair was done up for the occasion and fastened with a silver clip. She looked impressively serene and at ease, which made her appear much more confident.

The clan elders bowed to her before slipping some kind of necklace with a ring on it over her head. Hinata nodded her thanks, then spoke a few quiet words that Naruto couldn't quite make out. Soon, Hinata stepped up to the podium.

Behind her, Naruto could see Neji bow his head respectfully.

"Thank you, all of you, for coming. The entire Hyuuga clan appreciates you presence. I accepted the responsibility as leader of my clan to make a difference. If all goes well, positive changes will soon be put into effect." Hinata's voice was surprisingly clear and she did not stumble over any of the words or stutter. Naruto also did not see any traces of her previous injuries.

Hinata spoke a few more lines before stepping back. The elders stepped forward, raised some kind of headpiece, and formally bestowed it upon the heiress' head. The assembly then turned to face the crowd.

"We are honored to present to you Hinata Hyuuga, newest head of the Hyuuga Clan."

The applause was thunderous.

Everyone moved forward to congratulate Hinata. Somehow, Naruto managed to catch her eye and inclined his head to her. Hinata appeared momentarily shocked before nodding back.

After the ceremony was over, the crowd made its way to the refreshments. Naruto eyed the various tables. He noticed that the people around him were chatting aimlessly and appeared to be attending to their own affairs, though he definitely saw most of them glance nervously at him as he passed.

He could also clearly spot a few ANBU members on the rooftops, keeping a close eye on the activities below.

Naruto waited behind a young woman in a light green evening gown as she selected which type of dessert to take from one of the platters. The jinchuuriki ended up taking the same item as she did: a small piece of chocolate designed to look like some kind of flower. He turned around, only to find himself back in the midst of the people who used to make up the Rookie Nine. He glared at them, but popped the chocolate in his mouth anyways in an effort to ignore them.

He listened idly to the conversation around him, but didn't really pay attention to anything. Naruto thought he heard someone say something to him, but when he looked up no one was trying to get his attention. The grass beneath his feet suddenly seemed to liquefy as it turned into a vague, green shape. A frown made its way onto his face.

Naruto's troubled musings were suddenly interrupted by a shriek. He glanced in the direction that it came from, as did all of the other guests. A group of women abruptly split apart before they froze in horror.

A young woman, presumably the one who had screamed, had fallen to her knees. She grabbed her stomach jerkily, and threw up a mouthful of blood. A moment later, she was clawing at her skull, screaming as if in unbearable pain. Some people started to run towards her.

Naruto's blood turned to ice as he realized she was wearing a green dress- she was the same woman who had stood in front of him at the refreshments table.

A moment after he realized this, her entire body froze. Mouth still opened in a silent scream, the woman dropped to the ground. Dead. More people began to scream and frantically call for help at the sight.

Two more people, one man, one woman, also dropped to the floor as their hearts stopped prematurely.

The party descended into chaos. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto could see Hyuuga guards, as well as ANBU, converge upon the crowd.

Another woman who had been standing right next to Naruto suddenly made a wild grab for his shoulder. He flinched at the unexpected contact and spun around, eyes widening as she began to cough up blood off to his right. She involuntarily dropped a half-eaten chocolate flower at his feet. The blond backed up as the woman collapsed, legs sprawled beneath her and shocked eyes still open.

'_It's…it's poison!'_

Naruto's vision suddenly got much, much worse. The world seemed to blur around him. Spasms ran through his legs, preventing him from controlling the muscles properly. The sounds of the party all ran together before fading away.

He dropped to one knee.

The jinchuuriki's actions immediately drew the attention of the Leaf nins around him.

His vision swam and he could no longer make out the faces of those directly in front of him. Naruto started to cough violently, vaguely realizing that blood was coming out of his mouth. One hand was forced onto the ground to hold his body up. The coughing just wouldn't stop.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Sakura's eyes widened as she rushed towards him. Kiba was standing, frozen and stricken with horror, as he watched the sight in front of him. Tenten also raced to help, and Shikamaru was noticeably paler than normal as he hastily stumbled towards the fallen blond.

The world was now spinning around Naruto, or at least that's what it looked like to him. He could barely discern someone, or multiple someones, calling out to him from the jumble of background noise. He also heard a roar in the distance, but couldn't tell where it was coming from.

'_Why does this always happen to me?'_

It was the same question he had asked himself over and over since he was a child. And still a question that he didn't receive an answer to.

"Naruto!" screamed Sakura, grasping his shoulders as he threatened to fall face-first into the ground.

Kakashi suddenly appeared a few feet away, his one visible eye wide as he rushed towards his student and tried to think of some way to help.

Naruto could practically feel the poison work its way through his veins. _'I should have known not to consume anything made by others. I just didn't think they would be this bold and careless. They could have poisoned the entire party!'_

The blond put all of his effort into taking deep breaths and tried to focus on his healing abilities. He was now virtually blind and deaf to the outside world. Kakashi noticed his unfocused and almost dead-looking eyes with growing horror. The situation was summed up with a single expletive.

'_Shit!'_

Naruto suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his chest. He shakily reached out to touch it with his hand, and felt the shape of the medallion through the material of his kimono. The jinchuuriki could feel chakra contained within the stone begin to activate. He took a deep breath and it entered his chest, slowly diffusing throughout his body. It became easier and easier to breathe.

The sights and sounds of the outside world began to become clearer and as the blurs separated from each other. He blinked repeatedly, and was somewhat relieved to see Sakura's face, which was seriously violating his personal space, become clearer and clearer. He could now sense Kakashi to his left as well. The nausea vanished within a few moments, and he slowly stood up.

One palm reached to brush a few drops of blood away from his lips before falling back against his side.

It looks like he would never be able to thank Sasori enough for adding his best antidotes into the medallion.

It also looked like he would not be taking the Akatsuki amulet off anytime soon.

The group of Leaf nins surrounding him stared as Naruto recovered from a clearly lethal dose of poison. Kakashi appeared to be in shock, eye still wide and fingers trembling. The blond brushed himself off and stepped away, distancing himself from the others. A quick glance around confirmed that there were at least six people dead.

TenTen, Shikamaru, Rock Lee, Sakura, and Kiba all watched as Naruto vanished without seeming to make a move. ANBU swarmed the crowd.

* * *

The blond reappeared just outside the Hyuuga compound, where he leapt into a tree and headed into a much denser area of foliage. His hands trembled with anger as he gripped the tree he now stood in. Naruto's fingernails cut into the bark.

Shadows enveloped his face, swathing him in darkness. _'How dare they. How DARE they.'_ His hands balled into fists. _'They have no right!'_

He could hear Kyuubi's enraged growls in the back of his mind. The beast had seen everything.

'_I am in this _village_," _he mentally spat the word, _'for not even one full day, and look what happens. I almost fucking die- TWICE. What right do they have? On what grounds could they possibly excuse this one? I'm at a freakin' celebration, which I was __**forced**__ to attend, and they POISON me? They POISON ME! If it wasn't for this medallion, I could have died. __**I could be DEAD right now, pale and lifeless, sprawled on the ground like those other people. **__But I'm not, and I cannot waste any more time. They begged me to come back to Konoha," _he hissed the word like a curse, _"and I did, and what do I get for it? More misery! More pain and more misery. I don't need any more fucking pain in my life! _

'_It's decided, then. Waiting is now out of the question. Who knows what could happen if I hold off any longer. This village has scorned me far too many times, and I don't intend to let them go unpunished. Starting now, it is __**war.**__'_

The fury Naruto felt was overwhelming. Rage oozed from every pore in his body. His pupils had become slanted and red coloring seeped into his eyes. His upper lip curled in anger, exposing his elongated canines.

Naruto dropped from the tree, slitting his thumb on a kunai as he did so. He quickly drew a circle with radiating lines into the ground, and with an air of finality, slammed his thumb into the middle of the design.

"**Summoning Jutsu: The Three Terrors!"**

A large **POOF** was heard and smoke filled the air.

When the dust cleared, three nearly identical animals stood in front of him.

Their fiery, sunset-colored fur and black paws clearly identified them as the tricksters of the animal world: foxes. The three kitsunes were about the size of a medium-sized dog, but were each a force to be reckoned with. They all focused their attention on their summoner, regarding him with intelligent amber eyes.

"GO," Naruto hissed, addressing the foxes and tugging the medallion out from under his clothes. Their eyes followed his every movement, pupils dilating at the power he exuded. "This village has wronged me. Its corrupt council members have tried to kill me countless times. Go and do what you do best: judge and destroy. **Investigate and enact revenge upon those who have taken part in such plots. Destroy those who have worked to deceive and harm me. PROTECT YOUR KING.**" His voice had taken on a roar at the end, and the Terrors could clearly feel Kyuubi's power surging through Naruto's body.

The three kitsunes, positively ecstatic at the thought of battle and practically trembling with excitement, growled in agreement. "**We will protect.**"

The beasts then turned and leapt fluidly through the undergrowth, racing out into the night. Their gleaming amber eyes reflected the moonlight.

Once his summons had disappeared, Naruto turned his attention to the medallion and held it up to the light of the moon. The black diamond was alight with red sparks. He clutched it into his hand, making sure to have contact with the silver ring. The jinchuuriki spoke in a clear, deep voice.

"**Akatsuki: The time has come. The next phase of our plan has been initiated. Begin immediately."**

* * *

***And that's the end of Chapter 14. Just a quick question, do you think I should up my rating from T to M? I don't think my story needs it, but I don't want to take any chances of it getting removed. What do you think?**

**As always, thank you for taking the time to read my fanfic:) Also, please review!  
**


	15. Individual

Two men traveled down a dimly lit hallway. The taller one, an imposing man with pale blue skin, followed behind the other as he pulled a thick metal door closed behind them. The features of the second figure were barely visible in the shadows, but his red Sharingan eyes glittered in the ample torchlight. He sent one last glare back through the dreary hallway before it was obscured from view. The large door, thick as one belonging to a vault, let out an agonizing screech as it scraped along the floor before emitting a loud THUD as it slammed shut.

The two partners secured the door before exchanging nods and starting up a long, dimly lit staircase.

"He'll be glad the Yonbi's finally locked up," Kisame muttered, motioning towards the corridor they had just come from with a sharp tilt of the head.

Itachi understood exactly who he was talking about and agreed. "Leader-sama will have one less task to be concerned with."

They continued walking up the stairs in silence. The only sound that could be heard was the constant tapping of their footsteps as it echoed around the narrow space.

The gentle but demanding hum of chakra suddenly filled the air. The two men came to an abrupt halt, feet in mid-motion. In synchronization, the two S-rank criminals raised their right and left hands respectively up to the light. The stones of their Akatsuki rings were glowing very faintly, but it could still be noticed.

Itachi closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, feeling the surrounding environment for chakra. Indeed, the stones of the rings were alight with life as energy was channeled through them.

The following words broke through the silence that had descended upon them.

"**Akatsuki: The time has come. The next phase of our plan has been initiated. Begin immediately."**

Both men felt the welcome feeling of power ghosting across their skin—this was a familiar sensation when exposed to their leader's presence.

A moment later, the Uchiha and Hoshigaki snapped out of the trance and turned to face each other for just a second before body flickering up the rest of the stairs and into the main section of the Akatsuki base.

They knew exactly what their individual assignments were.

Upon reaching the main level and storing up on supplies, the long-time partners in crime, who had formed a grudging camaraderie, stood to face each other once again.

"Good luck," the fish-like man announced with a wolfish grin that showed just how much he was looking forward to his task.

"To you as well," replied Itachi, stoic expression still firmly in place.

They took off in opposite directions and disappeared a moment later

* * *

Somewhere in a nondescript forest, a regular-looking tree swayed ever so slightly in the wind. The sentient being currently inhabiting said tree carefully regarded the fifth finger of his right hand. The green ring that currently adorned that finger was glowing insistently.

Zetsu gave the stone an expectant look.

Sure enough, words with seemingly no origin began to swirl about the tree, being carried through the breeze as they reached the intended recipient.

"**Akatsuki: The time has come. The next phase of our plan has been initiated. Begin immediately."**

The double being gave an invisible smirk as he eagerly set to his task. It was about time he was given the chance to work Leader-sama's carefully acquired contacts. There were a great number of favors that would be coming in handy.

* * *

Many miles away, a feminine blond man walked alongside a hunchbacked, scorpion-like figure. Despite the distinctly dangerous appearance of the latter, both partners were at ease. They pair moved quickly through the desert landscape.

The blond man had just raised his right hand to push aside a lock of hair that had fallen into his vision when a teal-colored glow caught his attention. He stopped moving as his attention was drawn to the stone on his Akatsuki ring. His partner, sensing his inattention, also stopped and looked back to see what the blond was fixated on.

Just as the hunched figure did so, he too felt a warm feeling enter his body and welcomed the power that Leader-sama's essence exuded so effortlessly. No arms or legs were visible beneath his cloak, but he could still feel the pulse of chakra from his ring.

Both became nearly blind and deaf to their surroundings for a few moments—just enough time for the message to be transmitted.

"**Akatsuki: The time has come. The next phase of our plan has been initiated. Begin immediately."**

It took a few more moments for the trance-like state to completely wear off, and when it did, the partners glanced at each other.

Deidara, the more reckless one, stuck his tongue out in a way that he knew annoyed his partner, and then murmured "Well, I suppose we better be off, yeah, Leader-sama's orders are always the most interesting."

The puppet master merely nodded, and the black piece of cloth that covered the bottom half of his face thrashed about in the wind, revealing two unnatural-looking lines on either side of his mouth.

They then took off at a breakneck pace, moving with surprisingly speed across the sand.

About an hour later, the unusual-looking pair came to a rock that they knew all too well. For this was not just a rock.

Three minutes later they had completely disappeared from view, separated, and were darting through the passageways of the Akatsuki base. Deidara was quick to reach his quarters and immediately began to transfer globs of explosive clay from his backup stash into various places on his person.

He would have a lot of fun on this assignment.

Sasori was about to take similar actions. First, however, he shed his lengthy Akatsuki cloak and set it on a nearby chair. He murmured a few words so quietly that they barely reached even his own ears. A sound similar to air whooshing by on a windy day could be heard for about four seconds afterwards.

It took a bit of struggling on his part, but Sasori eventually freed his body from the puppet shell that it had been residing in during his time in the outside world. The large, scorpion-like puppet fell away from him as he separated himself from it. There, standing next to the gruesome creation was a young man with bright red hair and devilishly handsome crimson-brown eyes.

His attractive features molded into a smirk as he regarded the many scrolls surrounding him.

Sasori's eyes perused his collection of puppets, which he had the foresight to seal beforehand, and fingered the scrolls they were contained in. Though the decision was hard, he chose to only take along six of his favorite marionettes. The striking red-head gathered up the aforementioned scrolls and held them close to his chest. His expression didn't even change as he lifted up his shirt and pried open a fairly large compartment that took up most of his stomach area and a good part of his chest cavity.

Sasori then gently placed the scrolls inside of the hollowed out portion of his mechanical body and shut it back up. He then lifted his scorpion puppet, sealed it in a scroll, and stashed it with the others, knowing it was too risky to carry on his person.

He then went into a nearby closet and changed clothes, slipping into more nondescript and normal-looking garments. The puppet master glanced at a mirror on the adjacent wall and couldn't help but feel a wave of satisfaction at how totally and completely he had changed from just a few minutes ago.

Because his reflection no longer showed a hunchbacked figure with a scorpion tail who wore the Akatsuki emblem, but instead gave the image of a handsome young man wearing a grey traveling cloak who looked like your usual (albeit overly attractive) traveler. Luckily, he had redesigned certain elements of his body last year, so as long as most of his skin was covered, it would be impossible to tell that he was truly different from any other person walking the streets.

Hey, it wasn't his fault the rest of the world had no idea what he really looked like. It was their fault for not being competent enough to find out.

'_Even my own village has likely forgotten my image,'_ he drawled, recalling how he had stolen away from the Village Hidden in the Sand so many years ago. He had taken extra care to make sure that no one, even his old acquaintances, ever connected him with the hunchbacked figure that was known as a deadly Akatsuki member.

He adjusted his shirt once more before exiting the base.

And took off in the direction of Konoha.

* * *

In a section of the base that was much farther underground, a man with a pale grey cloth cloth covering his head and a black mask covering the bottom of his face had just finished doing inventory of a number of weapons in the Akatsuki vault. His green pupils reflected the dim light eerily against the red sclera.

His ring transmitted Leader-sama's message to him and he listened, getting all the more eager to spill blood. It would soon be time to kill. He was already running through different possible scenarios in his mind.

Abruptly, the torch next to him died out, casting that portion of the hallway in almost complete darkness. Kakuzu made no move to correct the situation. He had always liked the dark.

* * *

Meanwhile, the partner of the Akatsuki treasurer had also been busy. He observed his surroundings silently, noting the distinct lack of breath from the five motionless figures spread out on the ground before him. It had been a long time since he had encountered hunter nins, and he had taken his time with them and drawn the fight out for a good long while.

Heaving a sigh at how weak Iwa hunter nins were, Hidan proceeded to wipe the blood off of himself (after all, it wasn't fun if you weren't getting hurt) and stuck his scythe in the ground off to his right.

He ran a hand through his silver hair and upon feeling wetness, his purple eyes laggardly drifted towards his fingers and observed the blood that had been sprayed on his person. Hidan shrugged, not really minding.

'_These bodies would make a nice offering to Jashin,'_ he mused thoughtfully, observing the falling shinobi once again.

It was at that moment that the stone on his ring began to glow. Hidan watched the orange light with eager anticipation, awaiting the orders to spill more of the blood that Jashin so desired.

"**Akatsuki: The time has come. The next phase of our plan has been initiated. Begin immediately."**

At the end of the message, he shook himself back into alertness and grabbed his scythe from where he had stuck it in the ground.

Hidan started towards the edge of the clearing, then glanced back, as if just remembering the fallen bodies. With a sound of impatience, he turned around and commenced his orders to burn the bodies of anyone he killed. Leader-sama said it was in an effort to remain more discreet about Akatsuki's doings, and he was in no position to argue.

Afterwards, he immediately headed in the direction of Rain Country, certain that his partner would take care of Rice Country.

'_This is going to be fun.'_

* * *

Somewhere, deep in Lightning Country, a feminine form was just staring to stir. She was in the midst of a nap when her senses alerted her to the ambient chakra. She could tell that it was concentrated in her right hand and yawned while pushing the navy-colored blankets aside to sit up.

Her brilliant amber eyes glanced down at the white glow that shone brightly in the near darkness of the cottage. She brought the ring closer to her eyes, awaiting her orders.

"**Akatsuki: The time has come. The next phase of our plan has been initiated. Begin immediately."**

A small smile made its way onto her lips as she realized that things were finally moving along. This plan had been a very long time in the making.

She was always one for adventure, and joining the Akatsuki has turned out to be one of the best decisions she'd ever made.

The white stone on the ring then dimmed and returned to its normal state of being. The woman stood up and pushed aside a few curtains. Light streamed into the tiny house, illuminating her figure. This action revealed her very distinct deep purple hair, which cascaded down her back in a slight wave. Her facial features were also very different from most found in this region- she has slightly larger eyes, higher cheekbones, and a slimmer chin.

The purple-haired woman squinted at the light, before turning around and beginning to pack up her traveling gear. The illuminated room highlighted her striking eyes, which were distinctly amber, much like a cat's. A suitor who tried to woo her had once told her that they were the color of liquid gold. Naturally, she had blown him off. Men like that were a dime a dozen and weren't anything special. Truthfully, training and the ninja arts interested her far more.

After all, that's partly why she joined Akatsuki- it was full of unique and powerful people. She didn't exactly fit in with the general public, but then again, she wouldn't have it any other way. Dying her hair wouldn't have made a difference in the way she felt. In addition, not only were her eyes a seductive amber color, but the pupils were also cat-like—very elongated and not at all like a normal person's.

She liked to think that they looked like Leader-sama's when he was angry.

The kunoichi spared one more glance at the ring. Looking at it brought back a few memories. She remembered making the decision to join the infamous Akatsuki organization after unknowingly meeting the leader and agreeing with his ideals. She had been lured by the air of power that each Akatsuki member exuded. An aura that she herself also possessed. Power was always attractive, and joining just felt so right.

And the Akatsuki wasn't just a bunch of high-powered ninja wreaking havoc—it was highly efficient and very organized. The organization as a whole was nothing like that nonsense the gossipers had spouted. It was much, much more.

She also recalled who had worn the ring before her. Apparently, her dear cousin who had possessed such unique abilities had gotten herself killed. This was all before her time as a member, but apparently the blue-haired kunoichi had refused to accept the new management, sort to speak, and had been torn down along with Pein and that old Uchiha.

'_Konan, what a fool you were,'_ she thought. _'My mother always did tell me that you were the dullest child of the family.'_

Her mother and Konan's mother had become estranged after her own mother married a foreigner and moved away from the family. Truthfully, she had never even met Konan, or her aunt, and she was glad because her mother painted the both of them in a bad light.

Tearing her gaze from her cousin's—no, her—ring, she gathered up her supplies and got ready to head out.

Her gaze landed on a cat that was perched on the table at the foot of her bed. It was fairly large for a housecat and had distinct black markings on its dark orange fur. Its tail twitched casually from side to side, betraying its inner excitement as it regarded her with striking amber eyes that mirrored her own.

"_Hana-sama,"_ the male cat growled in a very deep voice_, "We await your orders." _His eyes flicked down to the white Akatsuki ring before glancing back up at her.

Eight pairs of striped ears peeked out from under the bed where they had spent the night. The cats crept out and climbed onto the soft fabric, where each sat and faced her with rapt attention.

Hana smiled at the felines who she had become so familiar with over the years.

Well, with an ability like hers, one couldn't live without getting to know their type.

She turned back to face the cat that had spoken, replying in a voice that sounded suspiciously like a hiss. _"We'll be heading to Konoha immediately. In five days' time we shall be within the city limits."_

The felines all meowed in excitement._  
_

Hana gathered the rest of her belongings and looked around the dwelling once more to make sure it appeared exactly as she had found it. Satisfied, the purple-haired woman turned back towards the rest of the cats and addressed them all. _"Come."_

The striped animals fluidly leapt off of the bed and streamed out the door that their master held open for them. Hana gently closed the door behind her and stepped outside. Her companions had already disappeared into the undergrowth and were hidden away just out of sight, not too close but not too far, as they always were.

She smiled once again, amber eyes alight with good humor.

Only five more days and they'd be in Konoha.

* * *

Satisfied, Naruto had long since returned to the Uchiha complex and was in the process of getting into bed, protective amulet still around his neck.

His three fox summons, hidden to all roaming the streets at this hour, were already causing chaos. The Hidden Leaf Village just didn't know it yet.

* * *

Many miles outside of the boundary of the city, a single figure was running as fast as his legs could carry him. He was clad completely in black, though one couldn't really tell since his clothes were splashed with mud and forest particles. His face was dripping with sweat and his eyes darted from side to side in a paranoid manner. Panting, he paused to glance around quickly, desperately hoping he wasn't followed, before darting off once again, lungs screaming for air.

It was very early in the morning, before the sun had even risen, when Itsuki finally neared Konoha. He pulled his hood so that the shadows would cover his eyes and tried to hide his shock of blue hair as best as he could.

Fighting exhaustion, the spy neared the hideout that was set up roughly five miles outside of the city and coughed the secret password, barely able to choke the words out in his fatigued state.

A few moments later, Itsuki was ushered inside. There was a brief conversation of hushed whispers before he was handed a piece of paper. The blue-haired shinobi of the Leaf, one of Jiraiya's best spies, scrawled the information as quickly as possible without making a mistake and then hastily rolled up the scroll. He handed it to a younger recruit who could enter the city with less questions asked and take the information directly to the Hokage.

Watching the fellow spy dash off into the night, the blue-haired man felt the first inklings of relief. He collapsed into a chair, still breathing heavily.

What was the urgent message scrawled on that scroll, you may ask?

_-Hokage-sama,_

_Akatsuki has mobilized. We do not know what their plans are, but at least three members have been seen on the move. They appear to have separated from their regular partnerships and have become individual units. I also have a confirmed sighting of Itachi Uchiha here in Fire Country. The objective is unknown, but expect the worst._

_Signed,_

_Itsuki-_

* * *

Konoha might not have known it yet, but ever so slowly, the infiltration had already begun.

* * *

**I apologize for this chapter being so short! But hey, the next update will be within a few days. Anyways, I think I might be reading a bit too much fanfiction on this site. I literally had a dream last night that played out like a movie, but I distinctly remember seeing words every now and then in the same exact format of this website (white words on a gray background when you set it to that). Haha- oh well. At least it was a good dream.**

**As always, I enjoy your reviews! (Unless they're mean. Then I just read them and laugh to myself, wondering why someone would waste time reviewing a story they thought was horrible).  
**


	16. All Along

**Woah- 650 reviews? Thank you so much! Well, I present to you Chapter 16 ;)**

* * *

Despite last night's events, Naruto felt oddly well-rested when he awoke the next morning. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he would soon have some people around him he could actually talk to. And, of course, his plan was moving along.

After going through his usual morning routine, Naruto showered and changed clothes. If the ANBU were intent on keeping an eye on him, he wasn't going to let them make him meek or submissive. He planned on making their lives difficult. Sure, it would probably be equally as effective to do absolutely nothing and bore them to death, but that just wasn't Naruto Uzumaki's style.

The blond glanced out of the closest window and didn't see anyone. It bothered him that he couldn't currently sense the ANBU who had been constantly shadowing him. Shrugging, Naruto decided to just open the door and find out. He grasped the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open, inwardly cringing in anticipation and berating himself for doing so at the same time.

Once the door had fully opened and no alarms had sounded, Naruto stepped out. Instantly, there was a whoosh of air and a flash of silver and Kakashi was by his side, reading that little orange book. It was all Naruto could do to force himself not to jerk back from the sudden presence. He settled on glaring at the jounin as he shut the door behind him and started to walk away.

Kakashi, who had briefly glanced up to get a good look at the jinchuuriki's face, was momentarily shocked by how much the stormy expression on the blond's face resembled that of the expression Sasuke used to always wear.

Some of Itachi's Uchiha glare had unconsciously rubbed off on Naruto, making his much more piercing and effective.

Not a word was said until they made their way to the center of the village, Kakashi trailing just a few steps behind Naruto. When Naruto showed no sign of stopping at any of the shops or parks, the silver-haired man began to get a bit curious.

"So, where are we headed?"

Bristling at the 'we,' Naruto didn't reply. It had been a long time since he had been in any kind of captivity, and a prisoner's life did not appeal to him in any way.

Brushing off the blond's lack of response, Kakashi tried a different tactic.

"About last night…well there's something you should know."

Knowing he had peaked the blond's interest, because who wouldn't want to know who had so carelessly made an attempt on their life, Kakashi continued on.

"Nine people, four of them shinobi, died. We pinpointed the poison to the flower-shaped chocolates and had it analyzed throughout the night. It was a deadly neurotoxin derived from a type of vine" here he paused for a moment to glance at Naruto's face "found solely in Rice Country."

The blond snorted. He replied without really thinking. "So what, Orochimaru's people are trying to kill me?"

Inwardly pleased that he had gotten any kind of a response to the news, but disappointed that the blond hadn't betrayed anything else, Kakashi shook his head.

"No. After the slaughter of the Hidden Sound, which I'm sure you've heard about…" another pause, but Naruto didn't even twitch, "there haven't been any attacks. The Leaf believes that the shinobi who were out of town on missions at the time of the slaughter are holed up somewhere, nursing their wounds. It would be far too risky for a group with so few numbers to attempt something like this. With Konoha against them, they'd be obliterated."

Naruto wasn't personally convinced of this and gave the mental equivalent of rolling his eyes at Kakashi's way of declaring that the Leaf would stick up for him and pursue any attackers. Kyuubi snorted in response.

In all honesty, Naruto knew a lot about the slaughter of the Hidden Sound. A whole lot. More than the Leaf could ever hope to know. He resisted the urge to drop a hint or covertly gloat about it.

After all, the leader of Akatsuki was responsible for everything the organization was ever involved with, whether it was before or during his time. Naruto had made sure to create a plan to get Orochimaru's ring back, which the snake had impudently taken with him when he defected from the organization many years ago. Naruto had seen it as a direct offense to Akatsuki, and so set up an attack on the village.

The way he saw it, almost anything Orochimaru had touched was tainted or poisonous. His people abided by his laws and submitted to his experiments, and were therefore accomplices in his atrocious acts. And of course, as Naruto personally pummeled Orochimaru to death, he threw in a few extra punches for the troubles of his childhood friend as well, who had been away on a mission with Kabuto at the time.

The jinchuuriki remembered the great feeling of satisfaction that had nearly overwhelmed his being when he had Kakuzu open up the Akatsuki vaults so that he could place the extra ring in there. Since it currently had no owner, it was necessarily to keep the piece of jewelry protected since the wearer would be able to have a close connection with the organization. It would be disastrous if it were to fall into the wrong hands.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Naruto glanced over to see Kakashi staring at him. The jounin had apparently said something and was looking at him expectantly.

"I said, would you like to hear more about the ones who tried to kill you?" Kakashi repeated.

Naruto arched one eyebrow, a habit he had also unconsciously picked up from Itachi.

Taking that for a yes, Kakashi continued on. "We actually caught them last night. It was a group of six people, pathetic really, but effective. Five of them were wealthy, elderly civilians who were alive at the time of the Kyuubi attack and lost a great number of family members. The last one was a dirty ANBU member," here, the silver-haired man's mouth twisted up in disgust, though Naruto couldn't see his expression, "who accepted their bribe and snuck into the Hyuuga kitchens to poison the food.

"It was incredibly risky, what he did, but his 'customers' apparently didn't care. They funded the mission and bought the poison, which is very expensive to acquire, and the ANBU did this blindly. The three civilians were so eager and careless to, as they put it, 'get rid of you,' that they simply disregarded all consequences. None of their remaining family members would be at a Hyuuga celebration, and they simply didn't care about anyone else."

At the end of his long-winded explanation, Kakashi looked positively sick. Naruto wrote it off as the jounin's disgust at someone who was probably his ex-subordinate killing innocents in such a careless manner. It never even entered his mind that the silver-haired man was feeling ill due to the fact that someone would go to such lengths and risk so much just to get a chance to kill the jinchuuriki.

After hearing this news, Naruto was actually a bit relieved. He never thought he'd see the day when someone attacking him because he housed the Kyuubi "and was therefore the demon reincarnated" or another similar tale brought a feeling of relief, but the day had come. He had been worried for a minute that someone knew of his true identity and had been trying to assassinate him due to his position of power.

But then again, no outsiders knew.

He could feel Kyuubi's relief as well.

Well, since Kakashi seemed to have decided it was Share-Information-With-Naruto Day, the Uzumaki decided to probe a bit further.

"Where are they now?"

The jounin had to think for a moment. "Now, I would assume the nearest graveyard. All six of them were executed last night."

As Naruto processed this information, Kakashi tried to read the blond's face. '_He looks oddly unafraid. I just told him that there are still people out there who are willing to do this and he is indifferent to the situation? For all he knows, the entire village could turn out to think the same way as those six.'_

However, the jounin just kept his mouth shut, satisfied for now that he had at least gotten Naruto to speak. Progress was progress, after all. He decided to risk one last question.

"What exactly happened there? We all saw you collapse, but you got up so quickly and seemed to be fine afterwards." Kakashi pinned Naruto with a stare. "That poison should have killed you."

Naruto looked back unflinchingly and decided to 'grace' the older shinobi with a reply. "There are many things about me that you do not know."

The jinchuuriki unconsciously reached up to touch the amulet, which had been a source of comfort for him lately, but twitched his hand back to his side when he realized how suspicious the action would look.

Kakashi just looked at him, observing his face with such a sharp, probing gaze that Naruto turned away and continued walking. He had seen the blond's hand twitch but didn't know what to make of it. This piece of information was added to the ever-growing pile of incomplete clues in the back of his mind.

* * *

Half an hour later, Kakashi found himself standing behind Naruto, who was standing near the edge of the Hokage Monument. The blond was walking forwards to step onto one of the heads of the depicted heads. The jounin knew he should probably stop the blond, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew that Naruto was prone to coming up here to think as a kid and felt it would be wrong to deny him that now, when they were making such an effort to turn him back to the Leaf.

Naruto stepped carefully along familiar footholds, first walking onto the statue of the Third Hokage and walking to the left edge of it. Kakashi tensed as he watched the jinchuuriki leap down onto the Fourth Hokage's head. He tried not to be alarmed when Naruto perched himself precariously but comfortably on the very edge of the Fourth's hair. The jinchuuriki's legs dangled across the Yondaime's forehead as if it was a natural thing to do.

Though, Kakashi admitted to himself, he really didn't have any idea of half the things Naruto did as a kid.

Unaware or simply ignoring his old mentor's stare, Naruto gazed out across Konoha. The Village Hidden in the Leaves had not changed very much since he had left. There was still the familiar cityscape of brightly colored buildings, though the majority of them seemed to have grown since he had last seen them.

His gaze turned wistful as he contemplated the city of his birth.

Naruto could not bear to forgive the Hokage for the horrible deed she had committed. If he had wanted to leave, he would have made the decision himself. Forcing an orphan out of the only home he ever knew was such a cruel action to take. Naruto had still had dreams then—big dreams. He had fully intended to become the next Hokage and didn't believe that anything could stop him.

It was sometime in the wilderness when he was wandering alone that he had realized that none of his dreams were ever going to come true. His aspirations had crumbled around him as he truly opened his eyes to the real world.

It had been a horrible feeling.

And now he was back here, faced with those same people who had wronged him and hated him and blamed him for all the troubles in the world, and he was expected to 'make nice' with them. What a foolish notion.

The leader of Akatsuki didn't have to 'make nice' with anyone.

The jinchuuriki kept thinking aimless thoughts as he awaited the arrival of some companions and Kyuubi took the opportunity to take a much-needed nap. Naruto vaguely wondered when the Godaime would come calling for him and trying to get him to do something or the other. He quickly put that annoying thought out of his mind.

And so the Uzumaki remained there, legs dangling over the side of the Yondaime's head and mind strangely at ease.

* * *

Naruto's peace would soon be interrupted. However, the events of the previous night must be told before our story can progress any further.

**[Last night, around 10 o'clock pm]**

The hazel-eyed Hokage looked up as there was a hesitant knock on the door to her office. Shizune, who had been sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, leapt up spastically to open it, her body betraying her nerves.

A woman with black hair, dark brown eyes, and green glasses entered the room. She looked silently between Tsunade and Shizune before bowing slightly and giving her name.

"Hokage-sama, my name is Dr. Rina Takedechi. I'm here for your "session.""

Tsunade immediately sprung up from her chair and motioned for Shizune to close the door. She then nodded to the woman and thanked her for coming. Shizune looked suspicious at how agreeable she was being but thankfully didn't say a word.

The Godaime Hokage walked to a far corner and motioned for the two other women to follow her. They started towards her just as she placed her palms against the wall and pushed open a hidden door. Shizune followed the Hokage into the dimly lit hallway, the therapist trailing apprehensively in her wake.

They took a sharp right turn and arrived in a new room, where a single chair and a reclined bed had been set up. The Hokage's aid stepped back to allow Rina into the room, then closed the door and walked back down the hall and left them to their business.

The doctor adjusted her forest-green glasses and looked towards the Hokage, who had already situated herself on the bed. She moved to sit on the chair next to the blond woman and brushed the dark locks out of her face.

"Hokage-sama, let me first explain to you how this technique is designed to work. It has been my experience that this makes the whole process much more comfortable for the both of us."

Tsunade had no objections and listened to what the doctor had to say.

"I am going to place my hands on either side of your head and run just enough chakra through my palms to begin to stimulate your mind. I will monitor your vitals and gradually increase the amount of chakra I use until it is at a satisfactory amount to stimulate your energy. My chakra will cause past memories to resurface so that you can learn from them, better understand them, and move on, which is much easier to do as a sort of bystander.

"That's all this is. The memories will stop when you have your answers. Also, I will not be able to view these memories, only you will be able to do so. This process will cause you to revisit painful memories so you can better cope with them. Shizune asked me to do this so you can make peace with yourself to better move on to future tasks. …Well, if you're ready, Hokage-sama?"

The blond Hokage observed the black-haired therapist for a few drawn-out moments before nodding her consent. _'If this doesn't work, then all I have to blame is Shizune for wasting my time.'_

And so the procedure began. Tsunade laid down and Rina rested her hands on either side of the Godaime's head, just as she said she would. Tsunade forced herself to believe in this coping technique and closed her eyes.

It wasn't long before she fell into a trance-like state, lulled by the gentle hum of the doctor's calming chakra.

It could have been a few seconds or a few hours before memories began to dart in and out of her vision.

"_Oh, Lady Hokage, your meeting with Dr. Takedechi is set for ten o'clock tonight."_

"_Alright, Shizune, that sounds acceptable," she heard herself respond, but her own voice sounded dead and so far away. _Was that really what she sounded like? Before Tsunade could think any more of it, the memory was ripped away and another replaced it.

_She was alone in her office, glaring wearily at the pile of paperwork on top of her desk. She tried to give some of her attention to the ANBU member handing in his mission report but wasn't succeeding. _

This memory swirled around a bit before disappearing as well.

"_Kakashi," she heard herself say in that same robotic voice. "I am giving you a mission. No, this is not one you can back out of. It is about Naruto. The documents regarding his stay and reinstatement here have not yet been cleared, so I need you to accompany him whenever he leaves the Uchiha complex. I don't have any say in the matter, and neither do you."_

_She saw the way Kakashi's features turned down in sadness for a moment, but he just frowned under his mask and accepted the mission._

Tsunade felt a pang of helplessness as she watched from the sidelines.

Another memory flew in to replace that one.

_It must have been the early morning, because the sun looked to have just risen. As usual, she was sitting at her desk, finishing up on a pile of paperwork as she waited for the next meeting. When Ino Yamanaka knocked and walked in, she placed down her pen and clasped her hands beneath her chin._

"_Ino, I know you aren't going to want to do this, but there's something I have to ask of you. I need you to go to the Uchiha complex—I'm sure you are familiar with the way there—and retrieve Naruto later this morning. The council has overridden my opinions and concerns by a majority vote, so I can't do anything about this. Ino, please take him to your father in the Torture & Interrogation Department for a full de-briefing. It has been deemed that viewing and understanding his memories of the past few years will be crucial to turning him back to our side. Dismissed."_

Even now, watching as a third party, she felt bad having to make Ino do this to an old friend.

_The next memory consisted of her yelling at the council to not put Naruto through such extreme questioning. They had no right and she stuck to her guns. However, they voted and made her opinions useless. Tsunade felt such a feeling of sadness and helplessness come over her upon seeing this memory. _

It didn't take long for the Hokage to figure out that she was viewing her memories in reverse chronological order and was getting farther and farther into the past.

_This next memory was by far the most painful yet. Naruto was in her office, for the first time in five years, and he was looking at her with such a hateful expression that it broke her heart. What had she done to deserve this from him? What did he think she did? Couldn't he see that she was only trying to help him?_

_Naruto's later explanations made her understand exactly what he thought of her and exactly what he thought she did. His accusations really cut into her—she felt as if they were physical blows. How could someone she had come to see as a younger brother, or perhaps a son, come to see her in such a way?_

_Tsunade clearly saw the thunderous expression on the blond's face when she mentioned making him stay in Konoha and immediately regretted the way she had worded it. She just wanted to protect him, and here he was denying her even that, after all they had been through! _

Tsunade tried not to relive the hurt, but it poured into her soul regardless.

_Naruto gave her a last hateful glare before performing some kind of transportation jutsu and disappearing from the room. Her stomach turned and she felt a deep sense of dread upon seeing the nine burning leaves on the floor._

If she could have cried in this state, she would have. The Godaime was relieved once the memory ended, and was going to give this so-called therapist a piece of her mind regarding her awful and potentially damaging technique. But the memories just kept coming.

_Sakura was standing in front of her, attentively listening and mirroring her motions exactly. Judging by the girl's appearance, it was roughly two years in the past. Tsunade recalled this particular lesson perfectly, remembering how she had taught the girl the best ways to remove poison from the body._

That memory only lasted for a split second before it was shoved out of the way, only to be replaced and then replaced again. Glimpses of memories flew by as she was thrust deeper and deeper into the past, getting progressively earlier.

_She smiled when she saw the familiar city approaching, glad to finally be back in Konoha. The meeting in Suna hadn't gone too well, and she never felt good about leaving her village for such a long period of time._

_A few minutes passed and she was finally within the walls of Konoha, being welcomed by the grateful people she protected. Tsunade smiled at the civilians and nodded at the shinobi who had also come to the village gates. Regardless of how much she complained about the paperwork, deep down she actually liked being Hokage. It was a lot of responsibility, but wasn't so bad once you got used to it._

_Roughly an hour passed, and she was searching out Sakura, eager to see the girl again. She spotted the pink-haired kunoichi in the distance and waved. Sakura raced towards her, frantically shouting "Lady Tsunade! Lady Tsunade!"_

_Realizing that the girl wasn't just excited to see her and was in the midst of panicking, Tsunade asked her what was the matter. 'It takes a lot to get Sakura worked up like this' she remembered thinking._

"_It's Naruto-kun! I can't find him anywhere. Ever since we got back from our last attempt to rescue Sasuke, he's been missing! Some injured shinobi came to the hospital this morning from a mission, and I was healing them all day so I didn't notice sooner!"_

_Tsunade silenced the girl's long-winded blabbering and tried to assure her that the troublemaker was probably alright and had just found a secluded training ground or something. After all, when the brat was in the Academy, he had managed to outmaneuver even ANBU squads to stay out of trouble for his pranks._

_To calm her student, she invited Sakura to come to her office with her. Perhaps someone in Hokage Tower had seen him. _

_When they arrived in her office, the first thing she noticed was Hiashi Hyuuga making himself very comfortable in her chair. The second thing she noticed was the odd, self-satisfied expression he wore. She asked him why he was there and evaded his tactics of talking to her alone. _

_The next words out of Hiashi's mouth caused her pulse to speed up uncomfortably quickly. "__I merely wanted to inform you that I have taken care of a great problem in our village. Children, adults, shinobi and civilians alike are much safer now that a certain… dangerous person is out of the way. He was simply a time-bomb waiting to explode."_

_She could feel the blood drain from her face and remembered thinking 'No…he doesn't mean…."_

_Tsunade snarled at the man and his arrogant responses, fists clenching as she roared "HOW DARE YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"_

_The next thing she knew, Sakura's hand had closed around the Hyuuga's throat and she was threatening him as he gasped for air._

_She watched as the Hyuuga clan head was thrown out of the window before seeing herself chase after him, fully intending to beat the Hyuuga clan leader to a pulp._

The Godaime was left panting when the memory finally faded. She clenched her teeth, determined not to let her emotions overwhelm her. She was not feeling especially enlightened in any way, shape, or form, and figured she would just have to wait it out until these memories stopped coming and she could wake up and give that doctor a good shake.

The next memory was much less painful.

"_Hokage-sama," Shizune's voice rang out clearly as she stuck her head into Tsunade's office. The Hokage looked up from the stack of papers she had finally made a dent in and met her assistant's eyes. "The Kazekage requests your presence in Suna. I've already tried to see if you could get out of it, but it's simply not possible. You'll be there for almost a week. It's regarding the Rice Country conflict."_

_She felt herself nodding and resigning herself to the trip._

Oh, if only she had known! If only she could go back in time to stop herself from making that mistake! She would never have left if she had known the council would grab the reigns and try to make judgment calls that weren't there's to make. And she still didn't even know how they did it. Hiashi Hyuuga hadn't given up a thing during his torture and subsequent execution. _'If only….'_ But alas, it was not possible.

_A few more memories swirled about her, one of her having a particularly hard time convincing a self-important noble that what he was doing for profit was negatively impacting the city, and another of her telling off the council for trying to make an admittedly minor decision behind her back._

Those all faded into the background as a new memory approached. It floated towards her and the Godaime reached out to touch it and become part of it.

_She had just woken up and found herself face-down on her desk in her office, blearily rubbing her eyes and trying to remember how she had fallen asleep there. When she moved, she felt a surge of pain in her head and realized that she had a splitting hangover. The headache was awful and for the life of her, she couldn't remember anything from last night other than taking the first swig from a bottle of sake. Sighing, she wiped the drool off of the side of her face and began the workday. _

The Godaime watched as that memory swirled away and was pushed aside by the next one.

_She blinked, finding herself in her office, but she was standing in the corner, completely separate from her body. Tsunade watched her past self snore, head on her desk, drool dripping from the corner of her mouth. Her normally neat hair was rumpled and paperwork was strewn around the office. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it had been a bad day._

Tsunade felt remotely disgusted at her appearance, but what began to disturb her was the fact that she simply couldn't remember anything about this night. _'When was this?'_

Then, her eyes fell on the multiple empty sake bottles scattered around her. There were two large ones on the floor and another one on her desk where it looked to have fallen out of her grip when she fell into a drunken slumber. The Godaime took a quick intake of breath as she realized how much alcohol she must have consumed that night. Something terrible must have happened to make her drown her worries in so much of the poisonous drink.

The memory continued to play out.

_She saw herself mumble a few things in her drunken state before passing back out and relaxing again._

_Suddenly, the door to her office opened. Tsunade creaked open a bloodshot eye and tried to identify the blurry figure standing before her, but it was hard to do because of to all of the alcohol that was interfering with her thought processes._

Watching from the sidelines, Tsunade still had a hard time identifying him, since at the time of the memory she hadn't really been able to focus.

_She mumbled a slurred "Go 'way" before placing her face back down on the pile of mission reports she had been trying to file and dozing off again. However, she was forced to open her eyes when the figure disregarded her words and walked right up to her desk._

With a start, the Hokage realized that it was Danzo. The fact obviously didn't occur to her drunken past self. _'What's that old coot doing in my office?'_

However, as hard as she tried, she just couldn't understand what Danzo was saying, despite the fact that he was only a few feet away. Tsunade cursed the alcohol-induced haze that prevented her, even now, from comprehending his words. Had someone spiked her drink?

_She watched, only half-awake and barely conscious as the figure held out a piece of paper or something to her. She disregarded it with a careless wave of her hand and turned away. But he placed a strangely gentle but firm hand on her shoulder and steered her so that she faced forwards._

Tsunade watched his mouth move, but just couldn't make out his words. Even lip-reading didn't work since she didn't have a concrete image of Danzo that night, just his general appearance. And to think she prided herself on being constantly observant!

_She remembered feeling the strong feeling of annoyance, and wanted to just get that meddling old man out of her office. But, despite her weak protests, he was insistent that she take a look at whatever document he was pushing at her. Unconsciously giving in, Tsunade's past self glanced down at it blearily, but the words were swimming before her eyes and she couldn't make them out due to her pounding migraine-strength headache._

"_Just sign it, Hokage-sama, it's no big deal, really. Just pick up that pen," urged Danzou, pressing the writing utensil into her hand and curling her fingers around it, "and scribble your signature right there on that line," he guided her palm towards it, "and I promise I'll go away. I'll be out of your sight in a moment and you can return to your nap."_

_She looked down at the paper again, and it sort of looked like a regular mission report, so she just shrugged and yawned again. There could be no harm done in doing what he said, right? Returning to her nap sounded like a really good idea…._

Tsunade watched as her past self signed the document sloppily and pushed it away from her.

_Danzo let out a puff of air before collecting the document and drawing himself up to his full height. He backed up a few steps, looking oddly satisfied and giddy._

This made Tsunade extremely nervous. Danzo's form was starting to blur again as she fell back into a drunken slumber, but the current Tsunade peered careful at the old man's face. _'What did I just sign?'_ For the life of her, she couldn't remember any of it. This entire night was foreign to her. She tried to focus on the memory but simply could not remember a word of what was on the paper.

She moved forward, passing the version of herself that was just falling back asleep on the desk, and walked up to Danzo, ignoring the feeling of unease that being in his presence always triggered. The Godaime peered down at the document, felt a wave of Rina's chakra and then a sense of relief when the swirling scribbles started to reform themselves into words.

The type appeared to be smaller than normal, but she was suddenly able to read the words fairly well.

The relief did not last long.

_-Proposed Act of the Council #64_

_Regarding the Neutralization of Threats within Konoha_

_One supposedly genin-level ninja has been deemed too dangerous to remain within the city. His presence is a constant threat to our security and the well-being of everyone in the Leaf. Due to his unique circumstances of being the host of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, which caused such devastation to our village on the night of his birth, we have found him to be uncontrollable._

_He tortures civilians and shinobi alike with precisely executed measures taken against them disguised as mere "pranks." This is obviously the demon's way of enacting revenge. The demon-child is extremely dangerous, as shown by how much the Kyuubi undoubtedly influences his thoughts and actions. We cannot wait until he does something major. The village has no way to control him, and there is only one sure way to get rid of such a threat: eliminate him._

_However, we are willing to take more generous measures and lessen the punishment since he did not choose to become a jinchuuriki. By the order of this council, Naruto Uzumaki, container of the Kyuubi no Youko, will be forever exiled from the Hidden Leaf Village in two week's time._

_All that is required to make this document official is the consent of at least four of the twelve members of the council, as well as the signature of the current Hokage._

_X___TsUNadE SenJU___-_

The Godaime's breath caught in her throat. Horror clawed at her heart as she viewed her sloppily scrawled signature.

'_No…NO! This can't be! It's not possible. It's not possible! Then…then what he said is true. It's all true. EVERYTHING is true. It…it WAS my fault! I-here I thought it was all the Hyuuga's doing, but I approved the order. I was the one who actually approved this document. Without my signature, they couldn't have done a thing. This can't be. This CAN'T BE TRUE!"_

But, deep down, she realized that it was. These were her personal memories. Danzo had come to her when she was vulnerable and taken advantage of her inability to function. It was all true.

Tsunade suddenly felt cold all over as she was pulled out of the memory and through a dark void. She saw Rina's worried face appear over her and felt the wetness of tears running down her cheeks. She roughly pushed the observing doctor aside and proceeded to empty her stomach over the side of the bed. It was true. It was her fault. Her carelessness and addiction to alcohol had ruined the boy's life. It was all her fault.

The Godaime threw up again, tears dripping freely from her eyes. Her hands were shaking as they attempted to hold her form in an upright position. She was trembling uncontrollably from the weight of what she had just learned.

Her mind…her mind just couldn't process it.

Tsunade vaguely heard the black-haired therapist running out of the room, desperately calling for Shizune.

But only a single thought, echoing over and over, permeated her mind and there was nothing she could do to get rid of it.

'_I banished Naruto. It was __**me**_.'

* * *

**And that's the end of this update.  
**

**Thank you again for all of your reviews!**


	17. Uprooted

**Happy New Year to all of my readers! Thank you for the support.**_**  
**_

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

'_Thinking'_

"Talking"

"**Demon Talking" = can be heard by everyone**

'_**Demon Talking' **_**= can only be heard by Naruto  
**

**LOUD SOUND / Jutsu**

* * *

Naruto closed his eyes, letting the wind ruffle his hair. He enjoyed the feeling of exhilaration that always came to him at such heights. The village was far below him and he could imagine, just for a minute, that all of his troubles were just as far away.

It turned out that the waiting was probably the most tedious part of the plan. The gaps in-between tasks were excruciatingly long, and Naruto was always more prone to taking action than waiting around for something to happen.

He could still sense Kakashi's chakra signature from where the man stood a good thirty feet away, leaning against a tree behind the Hokage Monument.

The blond let out a sigh and thrummed his fingers on a piece of the Yondaime's stone hair, upon which he was currently seated. He really hoped that his fox summons were creating mayhem, because it really sucked to be the one stuck on a metaphorical leash when everyone else was getting stuff done.

Naruto briefly wondered how his subordinates were doing, but turned around and sent a glare in Kakashi's direction instead. He absolutely _loathed_ this situation.

_**'****Don't worry Kit; it shouldn't be too much longer before we can finally act. We both know the wait will be worth it.'**_

Naruto smiled to himself and nodded in agreement at Kyuubi's words. He realized a second too late that he would probably look like a crazy person to Kakashi if the jounin looked up from his little orange book long enough to catch Naruto nodding to himself.

The Uzumaki sighed again, thoughts drifting aimlessly.

* * *

There was a knock on the door to the Hokage's office. Shizune cast a worried look back towards the back hallway she had just passed through before slowly opening the door. The caller was a young man dressed in ANBU gear who wore a nondescript white mask.

Shizune gave him a questioning glance, as all ANBU had been told that the Godaime would not be seeing them for the next few days and that they should deliver their mission reports to a different department. His style of mask told her that he probably worked on undercover assignments, but at the moment she didn't particularly care.

"Is Hokage-same present?" The masked shinobi asked cautiously, eyes straining to look behind the Hokage's aid.

Affronted at how carelessly he dismissed her presence, Shizune stepped to block his range of vision. She eyed the scroll clutched protectively in the ANBU's right hand. "Mission reports are to be presented to the secretary's desk," she said, side-stepping a direct answer to the question.

The man held her unwavering gaze for a few minutes, studying her, before replying. "With all due respect, Shizune-san, this is not a regular mission report. It is a special document that must be presented directly to Lady Hokage."

The brunette simply shook her head. "She is not in a position to view any materials you may have at the moment." She made to close the door. "Just leave it with the secretary. That's what she's there for."

But the ANBU member was insistent. He stuck his foot out to prevent the door from closing. "Really, this must reach her _immediately_. It's…" here he glanced around nervously and lowered his voice "a report from Jiraiya's spy network."

Shizune's puppy-dog eyes widened slightly at the information before narrowing again in annoyance. "As _interesting_ as that may be, ANBU-san, that does not _change_ the circumstances. Lady Tsunade is currently unable to perform her duties to the highest standard, and you, being directly under her command, are obligated to obey her orders. _Leave it with the secretary_."

The shinobi watched, white mask still in place, as Shizune deflected all of his attempts to get the information directly to Tsunade. He couldn't help but feel frustrated at her attempts to made his mission that much more difficult. Why couldn't she seem to comprehend the importance of this? Lives could be hanging in the balance!

"I do not know what could be ailing the Hokage so, but this is _incredibly _important. If you would just let me see her-" he stepped forward, trying to force his way into the Godaime's office, but the gutsy brunette simply fixed him with an admonishing glare and took a step forward as well, rising to the challenge and confining him to the hallway.

"I don't think you understand what I'm telling you. _Do not try and defy Tsunade-sama's orders. _Yes, you are in ANBU, and yes, you report directly to the Hokage. However, I don't see how _your_ case is any _different_ than the others. I get that you think you're all that, but go and leave your "special" report _somewhere else_. She will tend to it when _she_ sees fit." Shizune's voice descended into a hiss as she emphasized certain words with a threat clearly present in her eyes.

The ANBU member took a step back to appease the imposing woman. He had never met the Hokage's aid personally before, but she was said to be a sweet and laid back person. The rumors were nothing like the protective spitfire before him. He honestly didn't know how to calm Shizune down and explain the situation to her without sounding condescending and worsening the situation.

Little did he know just how vicious the woman in front of him could become when faced with an emotionally compromised female Hokage who needed to be tended to and an annoying rookie ninja who refused to leave her in peace. Not many people realized just how deep her bond with Tsunade went. The brunette would go to the ends of the earth to protect her mentor.

Shizune fixed the ANBU, who had suddenly gone silent, with a look that clearly said 'Get out of here.' When he didn't seem to get the message, she stepped forward, forcing him completely out into the hallway. He was bound by honor to step back, lest he be accused of invading the personal space or, god forbid, _assaulting_ a high-ranking female ninja with the political backing of the Godaime Hokage.

"Look," Shizune began, seeing as the ANBU didn't appear to be leaving. She extended a hand. "If this is so urgent, then just hand me the scroll and I'll see to it that the _moment_ Tsunade-sama is feeling well again, she will read its contents. Is that _satisfactory_?" Here, her voice took on a dangerous edge as she looked up at him with eyes that bored into his soul.

Suddenly at a loss for words, the man nodded fervently, pressed the scroll into Shizune's outstretched palm, and body flickered away.

Sighing with relief, the Hokage's aid stepped back, closed the door behind her, and took a few calming breaths. _'Took long enough.'_

Suddenly, a faint sob from down the hidden hallway that she had forgotten to conceal before answering the door echoed through the walls. Face going white, Shizune rushed to return to her duties.

The scroll that the ninja had entrusted her with was tossed haphazardly in the direction of the Hokage's desk as Shizune ran off to tend to Tsunade. It bounced off of the cracked wood and rolled away.

And there it lay, forgotten.

The important information hastily scrawled inside of it would remain unread for quite some time.

* * *

Tsunade stared blankly at the panels on the wall in front of her. Her eyes were wet and red, and her features were an unhealthy cross between indifference and despair.

Shizune was leaning against the doorframe, regarding her mentor with sad eyes. Tsunade had become unresponsive shortly after another fit of hysterics. Between all of the incoherent blabber and tears, the Hokage had managed to convey what she had discovered, and it had shocked Shizune to the core. She couldn't imagine how miserable Tsunade must be right now.

Though, with another look at the defeated-looking woman before her, maybe she could.

It had been some time since the ANBU had tried to pry into the office, and he was honestly the last thing on her mind. She barely even recalled taking the scroll from him. All that mattered right now was the Godaime's well-being.

With a sigh, Shizune left her post and went to fetch a glass of water for the Hokage, lest the sobs start up again.

* * *

Naruto was walking down from the Hokage Monument, Kakashi trailing behind him, when Temari suddenly appeared out of the blue. She looked nervous, glancing between the blond and his old sensei, but approached them regardless.

Honestly, Naruto had almost forgotten that she was still in the village. He had assumed that she would head right back to Suna to report to Gaara, being the Kazekage's sister and all, but apparently that wasn't the case.

Temari plastered what she hoped was a calming expression on her face, only managing a hint of a smile at seeing how unhappy Naruto was here in Konoha. He truly did not think of it as home anymore. She could easily tell that he was only putting up with it to remain safe from Akatsuki's clutches and sure death. Temari was saddened at everything Naruto must have gone through in his life. He was faced with obstacle after obstacle, yet seemed to take it all in stride and never complained.

"Hey Naruto." Her words were cool but friendly.

The Uzumaki watched her carefully, remaining a few feet away, but nodded in greeting.

Kakashi watched the exchange sharply, eyes flicking to Temari's feet as she lessened the distance between her and the jinchuuriki. To his surprise, Naruto didn't step back. From his position, the Copy Nin couldn't see the expression on the Naruto's face, but remained where he was to avoid unbalancing the situation.

Temari perused Naruto's features. He didn't seem to be angry with her, despite the fact that she was part of the group of shinobi that had brought him here. And he had been so kind and lively when talking to her, Gaara, and Kankuro in Suna. _'His eyes are closed off to emotion, but hopefully he won't resist me as he has been doing to the Leaf nins.'_

"So, I heard that they've got you under watch 24/7," she began. Naruto's eyes hardened slightly, but then softened as he realized Temari was only stating the facts and kicking around the topic before getting to what she really wanted to say. He had originally thought that she was rubbing it in his face.

Sensing the discomfort in the atmosphere, likely from Kakashi, who was trying halfheartedly to look like he wasn't eavesdropping, Temari decided to get right to the point. "Well, I know you haven't really talked to anyone, and the Hokage feels that it would be best for you to start interacting with your peers again…." Here, she trailed off, aware that she was on dangerous territory.

Deciding to avoid all of the formality, she took a step forward, approaching him the way that a friend would, instead of a wary onlooker, as the others had been. The kunoichi leaned in towards him, mouth close to his ear.

"Of course, it would be best to placate the old grandma, but what's the fun in that," here, she glanced up at Kakashi, who was watching their exchange with a puzzled but thoughtful expression. The coldness in Naruto's cerulean eyes vanished as he blinked, revealing an emotion that could only be described as warmth.

"They're having dinner tonight- a bunch of our old acquaintances, at some restaurant in town. I was invited, but was instructed to get you to come along as well. Sakura, Hinata, Neji, Lee, Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino should all be there. When this little get-together was mentioned the other day, it was obvious that the Hokage wanted you to end up reforming lost bonds, but I'm not going to force you into doing anything you don't want to do." Here, Temari's voice trailed off. Her playful gaze warred against his own as she awaited his verdict.

Weighing her words, Naruto fixed his attention on Temari's face. Ino's presence would definitely make him unconfortable, no matter how he would try to hide his emotions. The jinchuuriki hadn't heard a single word about Inoichi Yamanaka's disappearance, and that did make him a bit nervous. Hopefully, Zetsu had somehow managed to clean up the mess, but the facts still stood: He was the last person to see and be interrogated by Inoichi.

Deciding to put those thoughts off until later, Naruto put on a fake smile before declining politely. "Sorry Temari, but I really think it would be best to keep my distance. I need a bit more time to adjust, if you understand."

The Sand ninja nodded rapidly to show that she accepted his response. Before she could say anything else, however, Naruto abruptly posed a question. "Temari…how long are you planning on staying in Konoha?" His sudden question obviously caught the Sand kunoichi a little off guard, but she didn't hesitate in answering.

"Gaara insisted that I stay as long as it takes to get you settled in here. He knew you didn't want to ever come back here, but the Leaf nins captured you before anything else could be done. However, I don't think Konoha's council is thrilled having me here, and from what I've heard, neither is the Godaime. Rumor has it that they think they will be able to get you to assimilate better without outside influences that remind you of your time away. Therefore, I'll only be staying for three more days." As Temari finished, she took a quick glance into Naruto's eyes.

"I see," Naruto said. "In that case, thank you for staying as long as you have."

For a moment, Temari seemed confused. She then smiled, brown eyes lighting up. "You're welcome, Naruto."

"Well," the jinchuuriki said, glancing back at Kakashi, "I'm going to head back inside for a while. I'll see you around."

Temari nodded and waved as she turned to leave. "See ya, Naruto!"

Kakashi tried to glean anything he could from the conversation in an effort to figure out how to better approach Naruto in general, but it was clear that Naruto and Temari were just genuine friends. It was her that caused him to loosen up, not the tactics she used.

The silver-haired man trailed after Naruto as the blond again started walking towards the Uchiha District.

* * *

'_Some day, I'll have to thank Temari for what she's done. At the moment, she's honestly the only person in this cursed village that I can say has sincere intentions.'_

Naruto had never been so glad that he hadn't forsaken the Sand as well. Kyuubi rumbled in agreement.

He started walking again, only to feel a twinge of something at the back of his mind a few minutes later. Naruto instantly glanced at a tree to his right. His superior vision allowed him to see an orange form, bathed in shadows, perched in the midst of a tangle of branches. Leaves shaded most of the creature from view, except for its glowing amber eyes. Naruto turned his head just slightly to avoid attracting Kakashi's attention, who was walking off to his left.

Blinking, the jinchuuriki realized the creature was one of his foxes. It crept a few steps forward, paws placed strategically on the thick branches, just short of the sunlight. The fox stretched out one furry leg and lowered its head in a graceful bow. Naruto watched his summon sink into the respectful posture with warm eyes, then nodded once. The fox immediately straightened out of the bow and nodded back. It then quickly turned around and slunk back into the shadows. Satisfied with the knowledge that at least someone was getting work done, Naruto turned his head to face forward and forced himself to remain emotionless as he continued towards his temporary home.

* * *

In a distant area of Konoha, a wrinkled hand firmly grasped a wooden door and opened it, stepping into the building and hallway beyond. The somewhat elderly man was dressed in dark brown robes that swirled about his rotund frame. Despite the fact that it was nearing noon, the man was just beginning the work day. He continued down the hallway with calm, slow strides, as if he had all the time in the world.

The reason why he had spent so much time awake last night was because he had been up plotting the next attack. Six of his friends had been executed last night after their failed assassination attempt was uncovered by the ANBU. It had taken him hours to destroy the documents that would link him to his deceased comrades, and afterwards, he had thrown himself into avenging their deaths. There was a detailed plan lying in the second drawer on the left side of his desk, that would definitely be coming in handy soon.

At last, the elderly council member reached the end of the hallway. He grasped the knob of another door, inserted the key with a practiced ease, and then sauntered into his office with the smug air of someone who knew they had won something major.

His overconfidence vanished as soon he got a good look at the interior of his prized office. Documents were strewn everywhere, shreds of very important papers dusting the floor. The man's incredibly expensive furniture was utterly and irreversibly destroyed, and portions of the walls were blackened as if they had been hit by bursts of flame. His expensive desk had been cleaved apart, the drawers mere splinters on the floor.

'_Who…who would DARE to do something like this!' _The council member shrieked within the confines of his mind.

An abrupt creak to his left made the man realize that he hadn't even thought to sweep the room for remaining assailants. As his head turned, he was met with the alarming sight of the bared fangs of an animal reared back on its hind legs. Saliva slapped against his visage as an angry hiss of air blew towards him. There was only enough time for the council member's eyes to widen in horror before he was struck to the ground and claws pressed through his clothes and into the skin of his chest, forcing the air out of his lungs.

The occupants of adjacent offices had no idea that their neighbor's throat was currently being ripped out by a snarling, sunset-colored demon.

* * *

Back at the Uchiha complex, a strange thrill of adrenaline coursed through Naruto's body. He reflexively closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of chakra. His foxes had killed someone, he noted vaguely.

'_Good.'_

* * *

That night, Naruto was dressed in comfortable clothes and sitting in his private training room. He was pondering his current situation and wondering how much longer he would have to bear the pain of pretending to be normal.

Reflexively, his hand drifted to the center of his chest, where the lump of the Akatsuki amulet was just faintly visible underneath his informal clothes. He hadn't taken it off since the other day when it had proved to be absolutely invaluable. He caressed the gold chain as he pulled it out from under his clothing. The blond smiled slightly as he ran his thumb over the glittering black diamond, but his smile turned wistful as he touched the ring strung on the chain above it. It was his "zero" ring, the one that he never wanted to remove. He was the leader of Akatsuki, dammit, and he was proud of it.

'_I still wish the mission didn't have to take so long,' _the jinchuuriki muttered, knowing his whining was pointless but still irked at having to hide his true self.

'_**If only revenge was easy,' **_Kyuubi drawled lazily, yet his words were still somehow compassionate.

Sighing, a habit that he had become far too familiar with, Naruto once again settled into a comfortable position that would allow him to meditate. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, focusing purposefully on the demonic chakra of his Three Terrors that was so familiar to him. The jinchuuriki took another deep breath and further honed onto the kitsunes. Naruto sent out a low-frequency burst of chakra that would hopefully go undetected by the ANBU guarding the place.

He relaxed into the familiar feeling of wind rushing by him, though it only lasted for a few seconds before he opened his eyes. Naruto was met with the sight of one of his foxes prowling through a dusty old office. Judging by the framed pictures on the desk, it belonged to a female councilmember he had seen occasionally in passing. His kitsune leapt onto the desk, scattering those pictures in the process, and began to prod around with its nose. Interested, Naruto sent out another low frequency burst of chakra from his physical body, which allowed his vision to focus in on the documents. After about thirty more seconds, the fox straightened up. Its stoic amber eyes glittered in victory, while the rest of its fiery body was muted by the darkness. To Naruto, it was apparent that his summon had found what it was looking for.

He peered closer, pumping more power into the jutsu, and was just able to read the writing on the outside of the single scroll that the fox's front right paw now rested on.

_Information Regarding Enemies of the Leaf to Be Reviewed By the Council_

Naruto really wished he had a physical body at the moment. There could be compromising information inside of that scroll and he really wanted to read it. How far had the Leaf penetrated Akatsuki? Because surely, there could be no greater enemy to Konoha.

The orange fox peered closely at the scroll, much like the invisible Naruto was doing, before sinking its teeth into the scroll and straightening up. The blond observed the kitsune as it leapt to the floor with a faint _thunk_ and dropped the document on the ground. He watched as his summon closed its eyes, only to open them a split second later. The amber depths were now alight with yellow flames, dancing around the animal's pupil. The fox then bared its fangs, which seemed to glow like fiery embers, and sunk them into the scroll with a sharp hiss.

Immediately, the thick document blackened and began to disintegrate. Naruto's mental lips curled in appreciation as flakes of paper seeped off of the scroll like sand off of a dune on a windy day, before disappearing completely. In mere seconds, the potentially compromising intel had been completely destroyed. Satisfied, the jinchuuriki withdrew from the jutsu and returned to his physical body.

'_They're doing a good job, Kyuubi,' _he stated, pleased with the slow but substantial progress that his foxes were making.

'_**Indeed they are. I'm glad I gave you the summoning contract when I did. They've bonded well to you and will do anything to keep us safe,'**_ Kyuubi affirmed.

'_Yeah,' _Naruto snorted, _'Who thought we'd make sure a good team? The nine-tailed fox demon and his warden, together forever.'_

Kyuubi chuckled from deep within his lair.

Deciding to find out what the other two were up to, Naruto once again focused his chakra and let out the signature low-frequency pulse. He reopened invisible eyes, which, if they had been physical, would have widened at the scene in front of him.

Not ten feet away was a medium-sized wooden building with black smoke choking out of its windows. The poisonous vapor seeped out of every available crevice before drifting off into the sky. A flicker of orange that Naruto originally mistook as a flame snaked its way out the front door, only to be revealed as one of the other two kitsunes. The fox, amber eyes aglow with yellow energy, brushed up against the house, immediately igniting the wood. It shot into a sprint, causing a burst of fire to scorch the building. Wherever the demon's tail touched, as it trailed lazily behind the animal, flames instantly began to climb up the old wood.

Naruto caught a glimpse of the second fox in an upstairs window before a burst of flame shielded it from view. A shriek filled the air, only to be silenced with a low _boom_ and another flash of flame. Besides the smell of smoking wood, the odor of burning flesh filled the air, though Naruto was surprised to realize he could even smell it due to not actually being present. He realized a second later that he must be unconsciously channeling the heavy scent from his summons.

Leaving them to do their work, Naruto retreated, blinking away the images of the burning building as his consciousness returned to the training room in the Uchiha mansion.

* * *

Later that night, after resuming his training session, Naruto crept into the bed he claimed as his and allowed his mind to drift. He really hoped that the rest of Akatsuki was doing their best to fulfill their mission objectives. News of their unusual activities should be spread around within a few days, and that's when the real fun would start.

He idly wondered how long it would take Sasori to get to Konoha. The jinchuuriki had always liked the company of the redhead, and he couldn't wait to get another man on the inside. There would finally be someone who knew and accepted his true self here, and he simply couldn't wait.

* * *

Surprisingly, the next few days passed in a blur. Temari returned to the Village Hidden in the Sand, assuring Naruto that she would visit if he ever needed the company. Naruto found himself running into his old acquaintances much more than he would have liked (which would have been not at all), and couldn't help but find it suspicious. In addition, Kakashi had been extra clingy as of late and Naruto wondered if they suspected him in the recent attacks. Of course, no one leaked a word of it to him, so he couldn't even ask anything. Yet, his alibi was strong, since his foxes were taking care of the dirty work while he was in plain view of multiple ANBU members.

As for the criminal organization that he was the head of, Naruto had received a few notes that assured him that everything was on-schedule and moving along nicely. Itachi even informed him that a few spies had been found in the lower ranks and had been promptly executed in plain view of the others. The jinchuuriki was glad to know that Akatsuki could handle itself when he wasn't around to lead and direct.

His Three Terrors had communicated snippets of overheard conversations back to him. Apparently, one of the council members that they killed had been involved in the poisoning attempt, and not only had he been discovered dead by ANBU, but documents linking him and a few others had been found in plain view by his body. Speaking of which, the man's throat had been ripped open by what looked to be either a knife or a very sharp set of teeth, and he had died with his eyes wide open in terror.

The woman whose scroll he had watched being burned was apparently fired from her lofty position for losing crucial intelligence and was demoted an impressive number of ranks and lost a lot of social respect, since no one actually knew what the scroll contained, seeing as how the spies who wrote it had apparently been executed a day prior after being discovered as traitors to Akatsuki. Naruto smirked at that bit of information, impressed with Itachi's foresight.

The house that the kitsunes had burnt to the ground was owned by a civilian male whose wife and adult son lived with him. All three of them had been present upon the foxes' arrival, and had perished after being set ablaze along with the walls surrounding them. From what the foxes had heard, the ANBU who had been dispatched to the smoldering ruins didn't know what to make of the deaths of the three seemingly unimportant civilians. They had no idea that those three were often the instigators of many attacks on Naruto as a child.

Today was about a week after he arrived in Konoha, and despite the promising news he had been gathering, Naruto was in a foul mood. Luckily, Kakashi wasn't there to accompany him every single time he ventured outside, but he still couldn't bring himself to like the nearly invisible ANBU that trailed him constantly. Regardless, the blond could at least pretend he was alone, and didn't have to be pestered with an unusually talkative silver-haired jounin.

It was still fairly early in the morning, and Naruto was currently taking a leisurely walk around the relatively quiet streets. Besides his own footsteps, he could just barely hear the sound of ANBU leaping from house to house as they followed him on rooftop. Sighing, Naruto ignored them and continued on his way. This was probably the last peace and quiet he'd get for a long time.

Out of nowhere, a body appeared and nearly slammed into him before rearing back to avoid the collision. Naruto's cool gaze assessed the offender before widening considerably.

'_Holy shit, he grew!'_

He observed the still-spiky brown hair, nearly black eyes, and Konoha headband. The shinobi in question lurched back as if slapped, eyes widening astronomically. His mouth opened and closed for a few seconds before he was able to actually form words.

"Naruto? Is that really you?" he asked in a tone that sounded strangely like awe. Naruto briefly wondered why the younger male was speaking with that particular infliction.

The blond simply dipped his head politely. "Konohamaru," he stated in some semblance of a greeting.

"They didn't-," Here, Konohamaru had to clear his throat after his voice came out too high-pitched and scratchy. "They didn't tell me you had come back."

Naruto's stoic gaze never faltered, remaining focused on the brown-haired shinobi's face as he studied the changes the boy had undergone. Certainly, he was much taller. He had lost quite a bit of baby fat too, and had obviously gained some muscle.

"I hadn't planned on it. I wouldn't have come at all if force hadn't been used." Naruto's voice was low, yet cutting, and Konohamaru couldn't help but glance away at the frustration that was communicated through it.

"Oh. I didn't…I had hoped you had finally just come home, you know, of your own power. So many people missed you and I couldn't help but wonder if you would ever return."

"I was banished, Konohamaru. I wasn't _supposed_ to return at all. I was _exiled_ into the wilderness. That's kind of hard to forget," Naruto muttered, through gritted teeth. Why did the boy seem so naïve? The whole lost puppy look was grating on his nerves. Apparently, just because someone grows up on the outside doesn't mean that their personality has equally matured.

"B-But I thought..I thought that was a mistake. Then, couldn't you have really could have come home at any time? Why didn't you try harder, Naruto? We would have fought for you, if only given the chance!" Here, the younger's voice took on a slightly betrayed edge. "You were away for five years. _Five _years! No one even got a chance to say goodbye. Do you realize how horrible that was for the rest of us? You just vanished from our lives without even a few parting words."

Naruto's eyes hardened. The boy's pointless love for his village was unparalleled. He was named after it, for god's sake. Naruto remembered how close they were as children, when they both shared that same devotion to Konoha and ambition to become Hokage, but forced himself not to give in to his emotions. He had to remain isolated. "Do you _think_ that's what I wanted to do? That I chose to do it that way? Konohamaru, the council banished me! I had to leave immediately. I wasn't going to put up with their gloating any longer. But don't think for an instant that I have any obligation to justify myself to you."

The jinchuuriki could tell that the younger shinobi was hurt, if the faint glimmer in the corners of his eyes was anything to go by. Naruto immediately took a step back and quickly excused himself to get out of this uncomfortable situation. "I have to go. Good luck figuring your life out. Though judging by that," here, the blond pointed at Konohamaru's Leaf headband, "you're not doing so well."

Without giving the brunet a chance to reply, Naruto roughly brushed past him and turned continued on the route he had been planning to walk. When the younger man turned his head to say something, anything, he found that Naruto had vanished.

If Naruto had waited around for a few more minutes, he would have seen the longing smile that gradually worked its way onto Konohamaru's face, and the happy gleam that entered his eye despite the coldness of their exchange. Because despite everything else, Naruto was back. He was _back_. The younger shinobi was thrilled to the core.

And if he had waited around for a few moments after that, the blond would have heard two words whispered into the wind that would have sent a crack straight through his shield of indifference

"Goodbye…Boss."

* * *

**AN: These rather dull chapters will soon be getting more interesting with the arrival of Sasori and a bit more action on the rest of Akatsuki's part. This update was a bit boring to write, but I'm excited to finally get it out there to you guys so I can start from a clean slate for the next chapter. See you then! Until we meet again, enjoy ;) .**

**As always, _please review_. I am really looking forward to getting to 1000!  
**


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